Fire Emblem Path of Radiance: Divergence
by Falchion1984
Summary: Sephiran gave a grim warning at the end of PoR, and now war looms. Sephiran has foreseen that Ike will play a pivotal role, either against evil or becoming it. This may evolve into fan sequel so please review. Many pairings, no flames.
1. Part 1

Fire Emblem Path of Radiance: Divergence

Wow, my first Fire Emblem story. I've done quite a few works of original fiction and gave only passing consideration to writing fanfics. Still, this idea popped into my head and just wouldn't go away. This takes place after Fire Emblem Path of Radiance and the basic premise of this story revolves around Sephiran's final warning:

"Sephiran: ...Thus do heroes give birth to new chapters in history... Ike, I doubt if you've even noticed... Your story, the everyday mercenary who becomes a hero will awake ugly appetite and ambition in many. It will be the cause of strife and discord throughout the land. I'm certain Ashnard saw the truth in this. In a way, Ashnard's dream may have been fulfilled. The seeds of war have indeed been sewn across the continent. It appears your trials are just beginning, my gallant, young hero... May the goddess ride with you."

What I wish to present here is an interpretation of how this warning might unfold. The seeds of war have, indeed, been spread across the continent, and they are sprouting. This first part, centered on Ike, reflects on his journey and where his road now lies. And Sephiran, having foreseen an imperiled future, takes a dangerous gamble to keep Ike in play in the ongoing search for peace and unity between Beorc and Laguz.

There are multiple pairings, so please no flames. Also, some of the characters are purposefully OOC to reflect possible changes they undergo in the years after the war. So, please don't tell me that they're OOC, just tell me whether of not these changes make sense and enhance the story.

Disclaimer: Does anybody seriously think I own Fire Emblem? Intelligent Systems owns Fire Emblem and I envy them greatly.

Part 1, one month after Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, the year 646

Divergence: Beyond the dark fog of time lie Crossroads and Cliffs

The golden orb of the sun cast waves of orange and gold light as it touched the distant sea. Gradually, the luminous orb seemed to sink into the briny depths and the horizon dimmed from gold to the dark orange that would ultimately give way to the stars. Titania was right, it DID look like the horizon was on fire.

The morning bustle of Capital Way, the road connecting Melior with the Crimean heartland, had come and gone but smoke from the campfires of Merchant Convoys and Supply Caravans rose in thin plumes along it as traders awaited the business that would come with the dawn. Many Beorc and Laguz traders and builders now swarmed the roads leading into and through Crimea and even Daein to aid in the reconstruction. And turn a generous profit, of course.

Within the walls of the Crimean Capital, the streets were deserted but there was sound aplenty. Here and there the crackle of burning hearths could be heard along with the clatter of emptying tankards and the occasional grunts and cheers from what one might suppose to be arm-wrestling contests. The clipped speech of Muarim, the Tiger Laguz offering small praise to those who didn't lose TOO quickly to him, and the boisterous gloating of Largo, the same-claimed World-Class Berserker, figured prominently in the din.

To the south, on the fringe of one's vision, was the Sea of Trees. That tropical stretch of land, little more than a pool of emerald from this distance, was the natural barrier between the expansive grasslands of Crimea and the inner, more temperate forests of Gallia.

Ike had to give credit where it was due, Castle Crimea offered a breathtaking view but, admiring it wasn't his reason for being out here. After everything that had happened over the past year, some fourteen months by Ike's reckoning, he needed time to think. A short lived chuckle escaped his lips as he remembered the somewhat frequent insinuations from Titania; the red-haired Paladin who was his second-in-command, and Mist; his younger sister, that thinking wasn't something Ike did often. Still, his churning thoughts drifted in many directions while his eyes strayed southwards toward Gallia.

In a time not so long ago, the people of Crimea and Gallia regarded their proximity to one another with distaste, if not outright dread. In a matter of months, following the end of the war in which Ike had led the Crimean Liberation Army, things had changed completely.

It hadn't happened overnight, by any means. The long standing friendship and political partnership between Crimea's departed Monarch King Ramon and Caineghis, King of Lions and ruler of Gallia, had long been viewed with enmity. More than a few…less-than-loyal Crimeans, blamed this for Daein's Invasion. Many still thought that, to some extent, but all had found the news of a combined Beorc/Laguz Army conquering the Daein Capital of Nevassa and then liberating Crimea to be too incredible to dismiss. When the reconstruction gained momentum, and Beorc and Laguz soon became vested partners in rebuilding they discovered, to their astonishment, that they could work rather well together.

Perhaps, in many ways, it truly started on the small scale. The Mercenary Commander Greil, once Gawain of Daein's Four Riders, had found refuge in Gallia under the protection of Caineghis along with his wife Elena many years ago. Greil, a mystery to all in life and death, had told little of his tale and yet Caineghis could see in this man, of a race not his own, a man that could be trusted. Greil had two children, Ike and Mist, and spent his last hours of life seeing them safely to Caineghis. The King of Lions trusted a man who was not of his own kind, to enter, live in and ultimately leave his realm and the Mercenary Commander, knowing his death was near, had entrusted the safety of his children to the King of Lions. And, in turn, King Ramon entrusted the life of his daughter, Elincia, to Caineghis when his own life neared its end.

Thinking of his slain father brought a hint of tears to Ike's eyes, and he wiped them away. Ike often found himself wondering what his father would have thought of all this. Ike hoped that his campaign against Ashnard, the Mad King of Daein, would've made his father proud. However, Ike hadn't the faintest doubts that Greil would've pointed out every mistake Ike had made, which was quite a few, and he hadn't the faintest doubt that Greil would've been critical of Ike's bluntness. "Making the employers angry doesn't help fill company coffers," he sometimes said. And, Ike had a funny feeling that Greil would've found Elincia granting him the title of Lord to be quite amusing. Still, Greil's death was an old pain and Ike ultimately came to terms with it. Defeating the enigmatic Black Knight, Greil's slayer, had done much to help the healing process.

Ike then thought of the improbable friendship between Jill, the Wyvern Rider who turned her back on Daein, and Lethe, the volatile Cat Laguz from Gallia, both of whom had served with him. That had been an interesting illustration of the new, growing bond between Beorc and Laguz. At first, the two avoided each other as much as their duties to the war effort would permit. The rare occasions Jill spoke during that time, in which she uttered the phrase 'sub-human,' had nearly cost her an eye. After a few, very fumbling, attempts at conversation on Jill's part, Lethe gave her some useful, if blunt, advice: Think. And, she did. She thought of the tireless dedication she saw from the Lion, Tiger and Cat Laguz of Gallia, the loyalty of the Hawk Laguz of Phoenicis, the generosity of the Dragon Laguz of Goldoa and the beautiful, if melancholy, singing of the Heron Laguz of Serenes Forest.

Jill found much to be admired in the Laguz, when she started to look at matters with both eyes open, but she also found something profoundly troubling. She had been taught, even before she could read or write, that the 'sub-humans' were Abominations and Infidels to be exterminated. And, for many years, she believed it. And yet, if even half of what she'd seen and discovered was true, then her indoctrination in Daein, all the work and sacrifice she'd done in Daein's service and everything that she had believed in had all been a pathetic sham. And, it seemed, this knowledge was too much.

Ike remembered, grimly, the terrible battle of Talrega. A backwater Daein Province of farmers and traders in riverside communities of no strategic importance, save for the fact that the Crimean Liberation Army was marching through it to reach Nevassa. General Petrine, one of Daein's infamous Four Riders, had ordered the floodgates opened in an effort to slow down the combined Beorc/Laguz forces. Ike had been profoundly troubled when he learned that Jill's father commanded the forces in Talrega, albeit unwillingly, and his worries were compounded when Jill took the field and seemed as if she was trying to get herself killed. Many a bowman tried to knock her out of the sky, but all were cut down before they could even ready their arrows. Ike, for some reason, wasn't the faintest bit surprised when he learned that Jill's benefactor was Lethe. Of course, Lethe's pride was too great to admit this when Ike inquired about it. And, when Ike mentioned that he saw Jill and Lethe shaking hands after a rather sentimental conversation, Lethe's claws nearly removed one of his eyes.

Perhaps Titania and Mist's assessment that Ike spent too little time thinking wasn't far off the mark.

Ike's thoughts then strayed toward the bonds he had formed with the Laguz. During his travels, Ike had met not only Caineghis, but also the Cat Laguz Ranulf, the Hawk King Tibarn, the Heron Prince Reyson, the long lost Heron Princess Leanne and the Dragon Laguz Nasir, Ena, Raijion and Kurthnaga. Ranulf was the polar opposite of the moody Lethe, always chipper and cracking jokes and teasing anybody he could get his hands on. Ike seemed to be Ranulf's favorite victim, but Ike nonetheless found Ranulf a valuable fighter and liaison between the Crimean Liberation Army and Gallia.

Resyon and Nasir were different stories all together. Reyson, the Prince of the Serenes Herons, had seen his entire country put to the torch and sword and this atrocity had darkened the Heron Prince's heart. This darkness had transcended into overpowering rage and hatred when his friend Naesala, the Raven King of Kilvas, led him to the colorless ruins of Serenes Forest and betrayed him to Begnion slavers. Ike and his companions had discovered Reyson, but found him far less than receptive to their aid. Ike could still remember the hatred in Reyson's eyes and it chilled him to the bone. Things, however, changed between them when Leanne was found by Ike in Serenes Forest. At first, Reyson was still hesitant about trusting Beorc. But then, Leanne said…well, Ike wasn't sure what Reyson's long lost sister had said. Leanne spoke in the Ancient Tongue, which was probably commonplace when Herons still dwelt in Serenes, and Ike couldn't understand a word of it. But, whatever Leanne said was enough because Reyson joined the Crimean Liberation Army and proved invaluable.

Nasir, the White Dragon Laguz from Goldoa, had been a part of the war before it had even truly started. Nasir had been a longtime ally of Gallia, probably before Ike was even born considering a Dragon Laguz's longevity, but matters had taken a terrible turn when Raijion, husband of her granddaughter Ena, had been abducted and Raijion's life used to blackmail Ena into Daein's service as a tactician. Ike could still remember the utter astonishment he felt learning that Nasir was a grandfather. Heck, Nasir barely looked old enough to be married.

A pang of regret followed that musing. Ike had relied on Nasir, not only for safe passage to Begnion, but also as an advisor. Nasir possessed a gentle wisdom and insight that Ike had rarely encountered in another person, and yet Nasir had betrayed them. Nasir had alerted the Daein garrison of Tor Garen of Crimea's approach, had stolen the deadly Lehran's Medallion from Mist and had attacked Ike in order to allow Ena, whom was commanding the forces at Nevassa, to escape. Ike could still remember smoldering rage that surged through his blood at this, and found himself wondering why he didn't decapitate Nasir on the spot.

Whatever had stopped him though was fortuitous. Nasir, just after his arrest, had pointed Ike towards Palmeni Temple where Ike had found vital clues about Lehran's Medallion and of Ashnard's intent to acquire it. Nasir had also intervened just after the Black Knight had fallen, rescuing the captive Ena and then telling everything to Ike as well as telling them of Gritnea Tower.

Ike felt his gorge rise at that thought and fought to keep his supper from making a second appearance. Ashnard, after gaining the deadly Lehran's Medallion, had abducted Leanne in hopes of using a Heron Laguz's powers to unlock those of the Medallion. Nasir, when he returned, shared this information. That Tower was, simply put, barbaric. Ashnard had devised some sort of serum that, when administered to a Laguz, would lock them in their animal form and drive them into a feral rage. Hence the name 'Feral Ones,' as Daein called them. As terrible as the idea of a drug stripping someone of their free will was, the dungeons below Gritnea Tower were even worse. They were brimming over with corpses of Laguz that had been killed by the life shortening effects of the serums. Most of them were corrupted, their features altered into something hideous and others were so corrupted and decayed that the flesh was melting off the bones. And the horrible stench nearly caused Ike to pass out (1).

Looking back, Ike was able to forgive Nasir. After all, Ike suspected that he wouldn't have acted differently in Nasir's position.

Ultimately, Ike's eyes began to drift between two places: the ruins of the Mercenary Fort where'd he'd been raised and trained, and Serenes Forest where the first transformation between the two races had occurred. Ike studied the charred ground and exposed foundations of the Mercenary Fort that his father had built and had trained all of the original Greil Mercenaries: Titania; the red-haired Paladin, Soren; the cynical Mage, Gatrie; the skirt chasing Knight, Shinon; the taciturn Sniper, Rhys; the frail but dependable Priest and healer, Oscar; the perpetually squinting Cavalier and Boyd; the boisterous Fighter and Oscar's younger brother as well as Ike himself. Also part of that family, as Greil had dubbed it, was Mist; Ike's younger sister and a Cleric, and Rolf; Oscar and Boyd's younger brother and a skilled Archer. The original Greil Mercenaries had returned to the Fort along with Mia; the bouncy-as-hell Myrmidon, who'd served alongside them during the war and wanted to stay on.

After Daein consolidated their hold on Occupied Crimea, they burned the Fort down (2). Titania and Soren, as always, were pragmatic about it and, after all, the Greil Mercenaries had more than enough money to rebuild it. Oscar and Rhys, true to nature, reflected that they should be glad they weren't in the Fort when it was torched. Boyd, Gatrie, Shinon and Rolf were agitated, though probably because they would be doing a lot of the grunt work rebuilding it. And, Mist and Mia were ecstatically discussing all their plans to…redecorate the Fort. The musing of what the two young women had in mind made Ike cringe.

When Ike's gaze fell upon Serenes Forest, it brought a smile to his face. He still remembered how, after Reyson and Leanne had been rescued, they had sung at the Serenes Alter. That enchanted singing, a Heron galdr Ike supposed, had caused the once lifeless Forest to be reborn. Suddenly, the dull colorlessness was replaced by vibrant green as trees and flowers and grass and shrubs sprang back to life.

A few days ago, Ike had returned to the reborn Serenes Forest. All his friends who'd fought alongside him and the leaders of the other countries in Tellius were in attendance as well. The official business of signing the Treaty of Serenes, a first step towards realizing King Ramon's vision of peace and unity between Beorc and Laguz, soon transitioned into a night of remembrance and merriment. A small feast had been prepared as well as music and recreation.

Ike remembered, with some fondness, how Boyd had lost more than a week's salary in a game of dice (3). Of course, the barrel of ale he'd drained beforehand probably had something to do with it. Oscar and Kieran; the flamboyant Cavalier whom Captained Crimea's Fifth Platoon, were juggling the tasks of showing their respective ladies a good evening and besting the other in a training match. Marcia; the fuchsia haired Pegasus Knight, cheered for Kieran at bewildering decibels while Tanith; the FalcoKnight whom was Deputy Commander of Begnion's Holy Guard, shouted tactical advice towards Oscar. Gatrie meanwhile was involved in a clumsy but determined waltz with Astrid; a Cavalier and Noblewoman whom sought to escape an arranged marriage. Ike had long known that Gatrie had taken a liking to Astrid, but then again Gatrie took a liking to pretty much any woman he could get his hands on. Ike's jaw hit the floor, however, when he learned that Gatrie had dueled with Astrid's fiancé for her hand and won.

Now, if only the victorious Gatrie would just stop bragging about how many punches he'd landed on the unfortunate Noble's jaw and clavicle.

The real hilarity, however, occurred with Rhys and Mia. Mia had, for some completely inscrutable reason, taken it into her head that the frail Rhys was her destined archrival and thus hounded him to become a Myrmidon under her training. Such sessions usually ended with Rhys having many bruises and more than a few cramps. During the party, Mia shouted "Hey Rhys, think fast!" and lunged at him with her trainer. Rhys, apparently, DID think fast, though perhaps faster than he would've otherwise liked. His Healing Staff, before Ike's disbelieving eyes, slammed upon Mia's wrist and her sword clattered to the ground. Then, in that same motion, Rhys swung the Staff into Mia's stomach and then against her forehead, sending her crashing to the ground. Rhys, suddenly stricken looking, bent over Mia to tend to her injuries when she suddenly shot up with a bizarre smile on her face. And she said "I think we're on to something. Please, hit me again!" (4)

It had taken quite a while for the laughter to die down after that one.

Another interesting sight had been Leanne dancing with a less-than-enthused looking Naesala. Reyson had nearly had a heart attack when he saw that. Though Reyson had offered Naesala begrudging forgiveness, admitting that Naesala's treachery had unwittingly led them to finding Leanne, the Heron Prince was hardly the let-bygones-be-bygones sort. Ike had to admit, he had his suspicions about Naesala and Leanne. During the assault on Gritnea Tower, Naesala had learned of Leanne's imprisonment there, masqueraded as a guard, and freed her. That he did so at all was peculiar enough, that he did it without demanding an exorbitant payment was flabbergasting. (5)

Ike had been pretty much all over the party, mostly making sure that his friends behaved themselves. Jill's intoxicated, hiccup punctuated singing and Ranulf's glazed over eyes and his seeming to think everybody that talked to him had a twin that only he could see was a clear indication that Ike had his work cut out for him. Between making sure that Mist and Rolf and the other younger attendees didn't have any alcohol, keeping those that drank too much under control and ensuring that Mia and Rhys' wrongheaded sparing and Reyson's protestations of Leanne dancing with Naesala didn't turn into full blown brawls, Ike wasn't having much fun. Then, his attention was arrested when his gaze fell upon her.

Elincia Ridell Crimea, the newly crowned Queen of Crimea and his onetime employer. The emerald haired Queen was near the great Serenes Altar speaking to Sanaki; the child-like Apostle whom ruled Begnion. Ike did not envy her at that moment, the few instances when he himself had spoken with Sanaki had hardly been pleasant. Then, to Ike's surprise, the discussion ended and Elincia came towards him. Ike looked upon her with the same wonderment and longing that he'd worn when he first beheld her on war-torn Capital Way. Elincia was moving about, speaking quickly to the various officials and surveying the festivities. Mia and Rhys had abandoned their bizarre sparring and had now joined Gatrie and Astrid and Naesala and Leanne in waltzing in the vibrant, sunlit clearing that encompassed the Serenes Altar. Kieran and Marica and Oscar and Tanith joined in as well and Jill was dragging Haar, the Wyvern Lord who'd been a trusted confidant to her departed father, into the area occupied by the waltzing couples and Ranulf was coaxing a displeased looking Lethe into doing the same. Still, Ike's eyes were focused on Elincia and he noticed that she had no partner.

Before his mind finished processing what this meant, Ike heard what sounded like Mist's voice behind him. His younger sister said something that sounded like 'go get her you dope' and he felt what must've been Mist's foot being driven into his lower back. The impact pitched him forward and, before he could retreat, Elincia had spotted him. After fighting in a war, slaying more men than one could count, saving innumerable lives and helping to rebuild a shattered nation, he wasn't about to look the coward by being unable to muster the courage to dance with a beautiful woman. And, though Ike would never admit it, he had rather hoped for a chance to waltz with Elincia.

Mist seemed to share Ike's tendency for unorthodox methods, but her heart was still in the right place.

As the two danced, Ike reflected on when he first met Elincia. Rather he met her but she didn't meet him just then. After learning of the Daein attack on Melior, Greil ordered Ike to lead a small band of the Greil Mercenaries along Capital Way to learn more about the situation. Ike had been bewildered that his father would entrust him, a raw recruit with little combat experience, with such an important command. That, however, flew right out the window when his group ran afoul of a Daein patrol. After the battle had ended, and after Shinon had finally been convinced to stop looting the corpses, Rhys and Soren had spotted someone collapsed in the overgrowth.

When Ike first beheld her, the sight left him numb and wiped words from his brain. A slender, curvaceous body garbed in a flowing gown the color of a dusking sky. Her hair, a silken length of woven emerald, cascaded to her shoulders with tendrils framing her delicate face. The delicacy of her pale countenance almost seemed unreal, as if she was either illusionary or would crumble to dust if he touched her the wrong way. Her eyes opened, only for a split second, and he could see the faint hint of eyes with irises of pure gold. Then, a gasp and she lapsed back into a fevered slumber.

Somehow, that broke the trance and Ike could move again. He moved toward her, checked her pulse and her breathing, both were regular. Though sweat and dew dampened her from head to toe and her features were marred by an occasional bruise or cut, Ike was past the point of being panicked by a little blood. She was alright, she would recover.

Soren, upon seeing this scene, advised them to leave her and withdraw to the Fort. And, for an irrational split-second, Ike didn't like Soren at all. Ike quickly shook that off, it was a knee-jerk reaction and a stupid one at that. Soren was far from altruistic, but he was only saying what he believed was best for the Greil Mercenaries. Still, once that trouble Ike had with talking had gone away, he'd disagreed. He scooped up the unconscious woman and led his small troop back to the Fort.

That moment, in many ways, was the edge of a knife. Once Elincia was within the Fort, the link between Ike's past life and the present had been severed. The ensuing debate, of whether to accept Elincia's request to escort her to Gallia, was quickly rendered moot when Greil deduced that Daein forces had besieged the Fort. Ike wasn't surprised when Greil decided to aid Elincia. Greil's decision that Ike command the defenses at the main entrance, while Greil guarded the rear entrance, and then Greil giving Ike command of the escort while Greil himself led a diversionary team, THAT was a surprise. Ike still couldn't comprehend where that sudden faith had come from, why an inexperienced Mercenary had been given not one, not two, but three vital commands. And, Greil didn't live to give him a straight answer.

Ike couldn't help but wonder if the reason was because Greil, somehow, had foreseen that his days were nearly done. (6)

Ike shook it off and shifted his focus. During the two month voyage to Begnion aboard Nasir's ship, he and Elincia had gotten to know one another. At the least, talking to her on the top deck proved a pleasant alternative to lounging below deck with his fellow Mercenaries. It took nearly a week for the Mercenaries to get their sea legs and, during that time, at least one meal a day would make a second appearance. Ike had grown up amongst Mercenaries, he was accustomed to the stench of sweaty, dirty bodies, of travel stained clothing, of blood spattered armor and the occasional horse manure. Still, the combined stink of eighteen Mercenaries, four Merchants, three horses and one Pegasus, all suffering from acute seasickness, was too much for him.

Elincia didn't talk much about herself, whether this was simple courtesy or whether she believed her life in hiding was simply too dull could not be determined. Still, Elincia was insatiably curious and eagerly asked about...well, quite a few things actually. Questions about Ike's life as a Mercenary, more about the others in the Mercenary Company, who joined when and why and still other questions about the places Ike had traveled to in Crimea.

Elincia herself told him very little at first, but Ike ultimately coaxed it out of her. Elincia, as she had mentioned, had been born after her father King Ramon had named Duke Renning, Ramon's younger brother and Commander of Crimea's Army, as successor to the Throne. Her birth had caused the succession for the Throne to become contested and even Ike, who knew even less about politics than Elincia, saw the problem. He'd read more than a few stories where contested Thrones led to Civil War, and the sacrifice of countless lives. When pressed, Elincia told him about the Royal Villa where she'd been secretly raised and educated. Ike heard stories about her parents and Uncle, who was surprisingly loving of his potential rival for the Throne, as well as Geoffrey and Lucia who'd been like older siblings to her. Geoffrey was the azure haired Paladin and General whom led Elincia's waylaid escort on Capital Way. Lucia; the azure haired Swordmaster who was Geoffrey's younger sister, was a playmate in Elincia's childhood and later her trainer in swordsmanship. Elincia also told Ike about how Lucia had once routed a phalanx of Brigands single-handedly. Ike could still remember the quaver of her voice as she finished that story, and he didn't like it. He placed one rugged hand on her slender shoulder and told her that, if Geoffrey and Lucia were even half as strong as she believed then they were still alive. And, Ike was ultimately proven right.

Once the ever-growing Mercenary Company had arrived in Begnion, Ike took a grand total of five second to decide that he didn't like the place. Sienne, the Capital of Begnion, was certainly beautiful enough. The elegant architecture resembled nothing that could be found in comparatively rustic Crimea or Spartan Gallia. When Ike got past that though, he found the Nobles and Sanaki, the child-like Apostle. The Nobles, without effort, came across to him as venal, self-obsessive, greedy and amoral. And, Sanaki further soured his opinion when she proved herself as childish as her appearance suggested, using her mastery of trickery to play a game of wits and words with Elincia under the guise of confirming her identity. Eventually, Sanaki's incessant giggle concluded the farce. Elincia took this with polite, if bewildered, acquiescence. Ike did not show similar restraint.

Ike's outburst of indignation, which verged on insulting the Apostle, might've gotten him beheaded if Sanaki didn't need him almost as much as Elincia did.

And, need him Sanaki did. By the end of their time in Begnion, Ike and the Greil Mercenaries had helped the Apostle to expose the illegal trade of Laguz slaves amongst the Nobles and had found the Heron siblings Reyson and Leanne. This brought about not only the Aposle granting her nation's support for Crimea's restoration but also in the rebirth of Serenes Forest and the Hawk Laguz of Phoenicis, as well as Reyson himself, joining the cause. However, there was a problem: in order to command the regiment of Begnion Soldiers, Ike had to be granted peerage from Elincia and dubbed a Lord.

That news came like a punch in the guts, Ike was barely able to tolerate seeing or talking to Nobles but becoming one? He had never felt a stronger feeling of revulsion, even from the mob at Port Toha who'd ratted him out to Daein because they were frightened into a violent fervor at the sight of Ranulf. He was halfway through an impassioned refusal when he caught sight of the stricken look on Elincia's face. And, that sight reminded of why they were here: they needed to liberate and rebuild Crimea and to do that they would need Begnion troops to help them fight Daein. And, those troops wouldn't follow him unless he was a Lord. And, he was a breath away from ignoring all that because of an inflated view of his own dignity? He suddenly felt frustrated, ashamed and incredibly stupid.

He hadn't even been dubbed a Noble yet, and their self-centeredness had already rubbed off on him. (7)

So, astonishing himself in the act, he retracted his refusal and took the title of Lord and General of the Crimean Liberation Army. And, oddly enough, the smile that Elincia gave him somehow caused Ike's frustration and self revulsion to evaporate. And, that offered a small measure of warmth as they journeyed across the frozen wastes of Daein. And, after the decimation of Talrega, the theft of Lehran's Medallion, Nasir's betrayal and learning just how dangerous Lehran's Medallion truly was, he needed what little comfort he could muster. This knowledge, that the dark power which had crushed all the lands beneath a watery tomb had been within the Medallion around Mist's neck all this time, that it had been Ashnard's true goal all along and that Ike had let it slip through his fingers, was chilling. It caused him to pass many a sleepless night.

After Nevassa had fallen and the Crimean Liberation Army had joined with Geoffrey and Lucia and the other Crimean Soldiers, Elincia astonished him by taking the field. For a split second, Ike didn't recognize her. For one thing, she had exchanged her orange gown for a set of armor, not unlike those used by a Pegasus Knight, and a magnificent winged horse followed in her wake. Her emerald hair was also coiled into a tight bun and a slender sword, Amiti, rested in a sheath at her side. Ike had been skeptical, to say the least. If Elincia were to fall in battle, a thought which sent tendrils of dread snaking across his mind, then everything they'd done would have been for nothing. Yet, to his astonishment, he found himself agreeing.

During the battle of Fort Pinell, Ike kept one eye on Elincia as she flew through the battle. Elincia had joined with Mist to act as mounted healers, closing the distance with injured troops, healing them and then doubling back to safety. Both could wield swords with some proficiency, but Ike was dubious about how much that would count for in intense combat. He soon found, however, that he had little choice in the matter. Fort Pinell proved to be one of the most protracted battles he'd yet fought. Daein reinforcements continued to flood onto the blood soaked plain with no end in sight and Ike was forced to give ground and pull back his troops to form a defensive phalanx.

And, that proved to be more complicated than he'd supposed. His forces had become dispersed and he kept his mounted and flying units busy rescuing troops that had been cornered or boxed in. Ike, meanwhile, had been acting as a one-man-diversionary-squad with the simple goal of making the Daein troops want to kill him so badly that they'd ignore the others. He succeeded spectacularly for he soon found himself up against three Daein Halberdiers, two Daein Paladins and one Daein Sniper. Ike's blade wove through a defensive velocity so fast that watching his blade nearly made him too dizzy to fight. Ultimately, he managed to dispatch the Halberdiers and Paladins, but by then the Sniper had Ike in his sights and Ike was too exhausted to dodge the arrow. But, he didn't have to. Metal and feathers flashed before Ike's gaze and the Sniper's head fell away from his shoulders. Ike, somehow, wasn't the faintest bit surprised when his benefactor was revealed to be Elincia. He immediately returned the favor when he noticed, and eliminated, two Snipers who'd attempted to ambush Elincia when she landed to check on Ike's wellbeing.

Afterward, a furious Mist somehow juggled the task of fighting the battle and reprimanding Ike for endangering himself with disturbing skill. How she could continue riding and swinging her sword while yelling her lungs out at Ike was a mystery perhaps best left unsolved.

When time finally came to fight the Black Knight, Ike steeled himself. He discreetly trained with the sacred blade Ragnell, familiarizing himself with the weight and balance of the only weapon that could fight the Black Knight. The whole time, fear crept into his mind like an ice dagger, twisting in his brain and spreading chills into his thoughts. The Black Knight, unquestionably the most powerful of Ashnard's minions, was the man who had slain his father. Ike's father, Greil, was the mightiest warrior Ike had ever known and the Black Knight had killed him seemingly without effort. And, the image of Ike sharing that fate continued to dance across his mind's eye.

Eventually, he fell to one knee, drove Ragnell's blade into the soil and lapsed into meditation that occasionally edged towards brooding. But, it ended abruptly when he felt two hands upon his face. He didn't bother looking to see who it was, the touch was familiar. When he opened his eyes, Elincia sat before him with concern written plainly across her features. After a moment, they began to talk. Ike wasn't able to remember the exact words, but he did remember that he eventually confided in her his dread at facing the Black Knight. Elincia reminded him that he'd faced and defeated countless foes and, since Ike had already beaten two of Daein's Four Riders, of whom the Black Knight was a member, then it was Ike who had the odds in his favor.

Then, something strange happened. Elincia, as she began to rise, pecked him on the cheek. Then, just as suddenly, before Ike could comprehend the impulse, he rose and engulfed Elincia's lips in a long kiss. When the two of them finally parted, it looked as if all their blood had migrated to their faces. Elincia, eventually, asked him why he did that and Ike told her the truth: it simply seemed like the right thing to do, and he wasn't sure he'd ever get another chance.

When Ike emerged from the rubble of Nados Castle, with Nasir (8) at his side bearing an unconscious Ena, he beheld Titania, Mist, Soren, Elincia and pretty much everybody awaiting for him. Mist, tears of unabashed joy streaming down her cheeks, greeted him with a strange combination of a hug and a flying tackle that nearly sent him over backwards. Everybody was thinking it, but it was impossible to say which of them asked first.

"Did you win?" the whole army seemed to ask at once.

Ike didn't answer, not with words anyway. Instead, he showed them his hands. One held the Black Knight's sword Alondite. The other held the Black Knight's helmet, the ebony black of the blessed metal marred by blood. (9) Ike had done it: he had defeated the Black Knight, had taken the Black Knight's blade as his own and the Black Knight himself had been entombed under the rubble of the crumbled Nados Castle. His father, and Goddess knows how many others, had been avenged. And he promptly disappeared beneath a sea of people hugging him, shaking his hand, clapping him on the back and ruffling his hair while everybody else thrust their fists in the air and cheered deafeningly.

The following night, after extricating himself from his adoring public, Ike and Elincia had shared a second, much longer, but still secret, kiss. Then, Ike slept peacefully for the first time since he couldn't even remember.

The last time Ike and Elincia had spoken was just after her coronation. Elincia had lingered in the Throne Room nervous, more like terrified, at the prospect of becoming a Queen. And, simply because no one had taught her how to fulfill the duties of a Queen. Ike had been so bewildered, so astonished by the sheer nonsense of it all, that the first thing that came out of his mouth was the last thing he should've even considered saying.

Again, Titania and Mist's assessment about how often Ike thought before acting came to mind.

Still, Ike managed a recovery when he realized something so simple that it astonished him: Elincia had the same problem that he had struggled with just before Nados Castle. And, he knew exactly what to do. He reminded her of how she had managed to persuade the King of Lions, the Apostle of Begnion and countless others to fight for Crimea and how she had worked to aid and inspire the troops. He reminded her of how she'd taken the field and how it had bolstered the morale of the troops, not to mention the two of them taking turns saving one another's life. And, he reminded her that she did all that without anybody teaching her anything.

And, it worked like a charm. Elincia rose, offered him her hand and the two made their way to the Courtyard to meet the cheering crowds.

Just as these memories finished chasing each other through his mind, the waltz ended and Ike concluded it by bowing graciously and gently kissed Elincia's hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Titania give him an approving smile accompanied by a conspiratorial wink. Titania had, inexplicably, insisted on teaching Ike how to waltz and had invested quite some time, and a great deal of patience, in the lessons. Had Ike disappointed her, he had a funny feeling it might have proven hazardous to his health.

After the two had parted, Ike finally made a startling discovery: he was in love with Elincia. The notion surprised him, astonished him. He'd been about halfway through discarding the idea as too silly to entertain when Sephiran, the Prime Minister of Begnion whom Ike had met twice on his journey, approached him. Early in the war Sephiran, assuming that was his real name and not another one of his numerous aliases, (10) had been masquerading as a Monk and healer while gathering intelligence about Daein's actions in Crimea. During this time he'd met, and readily connected, with Ike. Later, when Sephiran returned to Begnion, he arranged for the heavily engaged Crimean Liberation Army to receive additional reinforcements. And, he and Ike had met just after the war when Sephiran had visited Castle Crimea. The Prime Minister had found Ike's desire to renounce his title of Lord to be incredibly amusing, and Ike found Sephiran's reaction to be incredibly rude. Still, Sephiran was an honorable man and he and Ike quickly lapsed into the easy conversation of old friends.

What Sephiran had to say though, surprised him: Sanaki had been discussing the likelihood of Ike remaining involved in the governance of Crimea after the reconstruction had ended. More bewildering still was the fact that the Apostle seemed eager for Ike to stay on. Elincia had admitted that it seemed unlikely but that she would, as Sephiran had quoted, 'be of gladdened heart' if Ike decided to stay.

Of course, Ike reminded Sephiran of his desire to renounce his title of Lord but Sephiran, once again, surprised him.

"Is that Greil talking, or you?" Sephiran had asked.

Whatever Ike had been expecting to hear, that was NOT it. And, for a moment, he resented the rebuke but Sephiran quickly explained himself.

"I know you Ike," Sephiran informed him bluntly, "better than you might realize. Do you remember Port Toha?"

Ike wished he could forget. The Mercenaries had been traveling in disguise through Toha to reach Nasir's ship for the journey to Begnion. Ranulf, who was guiding them, had had the misfortune of being discovered and a mob of townsfolk began to beat and kick him. And Ike, sentimentality outpacing common sense, intervened and, in so doing, exposed their presence to the local vigilantes and the Daein contingent nearby. Though Ranulf had escaped, Ike did not share Ranulf's pragmatic dismissal of the incident. When one of the Toha vigilantes locked sword with him, Ike wanted to kill him. It was the same when a sinewy man with a club and a scraggly old woman with a cane tried to waylay him. But, for some reason, he didn't kill them. Something, he wasn't sure what, caused him to guide his blade through the limbs of his enemies rather than the chest or neck. And, the same unknown 'something' occasionally caused him to use the flat of his sword, rather than the edge, to bat offenders out of his path. The escape from Toha had been a nearly bloodless victory and Ike still didn't know how it happened. Something similar happened when he'd unwittingly stumbled across the base of the Laguz Emancipation Army in Begnion during the clandestine investigation of the illegal trade of Laguz Slaves. But then, it had made sense because he needed information more than notches in his blade. Or, was there more to it than that?

"What about Talrega?" Sephiran persisted.

Again, that was a moment that Ike badly wanted to forget. Though the Greil Mercenaries had fought their way to the floodgates and closed them as quickly as possible, it wasn't quickly enough. The flooding had decimated the homes and farms, leaving hundreds homeless. Ike had astonished the others by deciding to provide food and healing to the displaced Talregans while they waited for the flooded river to recede and allow them to cross. Soren had fervently disagreed, and so did the Talregans themselves, but Ike was not deterred.

"Is there a point to this?" Ike asked.

Sephiran gave him a kindly smile and placed one hand on his shoulder.

"Those weren't the only times that you've been altruistic at your own expense," Sephiran pointed out. "I've learned, amongst other things, about how, as a young boy, you'd discovered a bird with a broken wing and spent three days nursing it back to health." (11)

Ike's astonishment that Sephiran knew that must've shown on his face for the Prime Minister of Begnion burst into another gale of laughter that sparked resentment in Ike.

"It's quite simple really," Sephiran told him, "you want to save everyone. Many people do, sometimes they can but too often they can't. You however…you're different. How many lives have you and the other troops saved by winning the war against Ashnard? Can you even count them?"

Ike had to admit, he couldn't even hazard a guess. And, he had to admit, Sephiran's assessment did make some sense. He thought about the surprise and then transcendent joy that flashed across Reyson's face when Leanne had been found in Serenes Forest and his profound relief, mingled with bemusement, when Naesala freed Leanne from Gritnea Tower. He thought about the Crimean villagers near Delbray Castle who'd been so thrilled that the Daein occupation force was under assault. He thought about the joyous tears Mist had shed when he returned, alive, from his battle with the Black Knight. And, he remembered the sweet smile that Elincia had given him on that day in the Throne Room. And these moments, any one of them in fact, was worth more than all the gold on the continent. Sephiran was right, saving lives was what mattered to Ike.

"I'm also aware that you have also come to believe in the late King Ramon's dream of unity between Beorc and Laguz," Sephiran continued, and his voice suddenly dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "and I'm far from ignorant of your disdain of the ways of the Nobility."

Ike was about to mention that Sephiran was contradicting himself when he was cut off.

"What if you could change that?" Sephiran offered.

Ike burst out laughing, taking mischievous delight in Sephiran's look of discomfort, and flatly told the Prime Minister that, even if he was interested, that no one would accept him in the Crimean Court. Then, inexplicably, Sephiran's smile returned. He put an arm around Ike's shoulder and turned him to face Elincia. Ike could feel the color draining out of his cheeks.

How much DID Sephiran discover while wandering the land as a consummate spy?

"I know you desire to return to the life of a simple Mercenary, but it is enough?" Sephiran asked. "Your father wanted you to keep Mist safe and to take care of his Mercenary Company. And, you've succeeded at both."

"He also told me to live peacefully in Gallia and warned me not to go after the Black Knight and I did neither," Ike countered.

"Because that isn't in your nature," Sephiran pointed out.

And indeed, it wasn't. Ike had never been one to run away from his problems. For years, Ike had sparred with his father and left each bout with nothing to show for it except a comically large collection of bruises on both his body and his ego. Yet, he just kept on coming back for more and, ultimately, he learned how to win.

Still, dueling swords with Mercenaries was one thing, dueling words with politicians was something else completely.

And yet...for some reason, Sephiran's words seemed strangely impossible to dismiss.

"I have learned of every hour, every minute, of your exploits," Sephiran informed him, his claim sounding quite believable, "and I've noticed a few things. King Ramon's dream of unity between Beorc and Laguz has rubbed off on you, you've made more friends and won more respect amongst the Laguz than most people would even consider trying. And, I know how repugnant you find the greed, self-centeredness and prejudices of the Nobility. You might have the chance to change that."

"How?" Ike asked, unable to conceal his skepticism.

Sephiran's smile became warmer, almost reminiscent of Greil's when he and Ike talked about Ike's mother or Caineghis' when he recognized the 'young pup' of his treasured friend.

"You can still help others," Sephiran told him. "You can still promote unity between Beorc and Laguz and you can…persuade the Nobles to amend their habits and punish those that decide that they are above the law. If you remain in Crimea's Court, you would have the power to do all of these things and more."

"Stay as what?" Ike snorted.

Sephiran gave an earnest shrug.

"A General perhaps," he suggested. "Maybe a Military Advisor or a member of the Imperial Guard or maybe…"

He trailed of, making a near invisible gesture towards Elincia.

"…a Prince Consort," he finished.

If Ike's jaw had dropped any lower, it would've scooped up a mouthful of dirt and grass. Still, he supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. Sephiran had a disconcerting ability to know just about everything.

"Oh, don't worry," Sephiran told him, "I've told no one of the…affectionate gestures you've shown each other nor shall I. And, I'm very happy for you both."

Ike gazed past Sephiran at Elincia, a look of guarded longing in his eyes. Guarded it might have been, but Sephiran saw right through him.

"When she said she would 'be of gladdened heart,' she meant it more than one sense of the phrase," Sephiran voiced. "I'm aware that you two love each other."

For a long moment, Ike didn't speak. He simply gazed at Elincia and thought, again, of their time together during the war, of their talks about their friends and family and country, of the faith Elincia had shown in him when she requested that he lead the Crimean Liberation Army, of how they had saved one-another from death at Fort Pinell, how they'd shared their first kiss before Nados Castle and another afterwards and how Ike had helped her to gather her courage just after her coronation. And, he was only too aware of how mismatched they were. He was a Mercenary, she was a Queen. He was boisterous and impulsive, she was demure and shy. He was long since accustomed to the traits and quirks of city and village life, she had gained this knowledge only recently. He was a man of the real world who was charmed by the idealism of the Crimean Court, she was a woman of the Crimean Court who regarded the, once unfamiliar, real world with a thirst for knowledge.

The conflicted nature of the whole affair tugged the corners of his mouth downward.

"That's tempting," he answered, "but she's too good for me."

Sephiran gave him a penetrating look and, when he spoke, he used the tone a parent might when reminding a child of something they ought to already know.

"Don't you remember what I said to you the last time we spoke?" Sephiran asked. "'If you wish it, no post will be beyond your reach.'" (12)

Something in that statement, maybe Sephiran's matter-of-fact tone or the words or his disconcerting ability to see into Ike's thoughts, but whatever it was it caused an image to paint itself his mind's eye.

The image was elaborate, woven like a tapestry. He saw his blade Ragnell crossed with his father's axe Urvan (13) and a decorated spear that looked like one he'd seen in a great portrait of Duke Renning. On the left and right were the images of a Lion and Hawk Laguz, below and above was the image of a Dragon Laguz and a Heron Laguz singing soundlessly. At the bottom, but large enough to monopolize a viewer's attention, was the clawed hand of a Laguz joined in an embrace of brotherhood with the comparatively unimpressive hand of a Beorc. (14) The image then began to recede, flying back into a bank of black fog in which only the beginnings of two roads were visible. A crossroads. And, despite the fact that he couldn't see more than half a league into the dark fog, he felt strangely certain that one road would lead him to the image and the other would lead him over a cliff. Crossroads and Cliffs. The only question was which path would take him where.

"It seems I've given you much to consider," Sephiran admitted. "I think I'll give you some time to think about what I've said and, in the meantime, let us enjoy the celebrations."

Sephiran had turned to leave but Ike clapped one hand on the Prime Minister's shoulder to stop him.

"When I've decided, how will I find you?" Ike asked.

"Oh, I'll find you," Sephiran replied, a cunning grin gracing his features. "You may have noticed that I have a tendency to just appear when I'm needed. I'll be there when you're done thinking."

That had been…how many days ago? Not many, but Ike had spent much of that time lingering on the high balcony thinking until he risked an acute case of pneumonia from repeatedly pondering the matter outdoors well into the night.

And thus, here he was staring out at the vast fields and valleys of Crimea, the distant forests of Gallia, the almost invisible snowfields of Daein, the ruins of the Mercenary Fort where he'd been raised and trained and the distant, reborn Serenes Forest. And, he understood that the strange mental image he'd seen had migrated into reality: he had come to a crossroads and one road would lead him over a cliff. He gazed at the ruins of the soon-to-be rebuilt Mercenary Fort and the reborn Serenes Forest and saw, in each, a possible future.

The Fort was where he had grown up, where he learned how to wield a blade and where the Greil Mercenaries had long called home and were eager to rebuild. Ike thought about all the memories that the scorched foundations held. He thought of Boyd shirking his training out of pure and simple impatience and Titania pulling her hair out trying to straighten him up. He thought of how, after every mission, Gatrie and Shinon would return and drink themselves into amusing stupors. He thought of Rhys, who spent half the time out of action from fever, nausea and coughing spasms, and yet who was always pushing himself as far as he could to help others, hardly surprising as he was a Priest. He thought of Oscar always training in lance combat and horsemanship, and how his skill was bewildering since his perpetual squint made it look as if his eyes were always closed. He thought of Soren who spent every waking moment reading up on spells and tactics. In fact, on the rare occasions when Soren was pried away from his books to have a night of revelry on the town, he had to be literally pried away and dragged by his ankles. He thought of Mist, who was remarkably headstrong and brave for her young age and Rolf who, despite his spunk and combat experience, was still as young inwardly as he was outwardly. (15)

And, of course he thought of his father. The two would always spend each morning sparring until one of them, usually Greil, was the winner. During that time, Ike could clearly recall the story behind every bruise on his body. And, the blunt wooden training sword could make quite a few when it was in the right hands. Even when Ike managed to beat his father in a spar, Ike knew that Greil had been holding back even if Greil never admitted it.

That musing caused Ike's gaze to shift back towards Gallia and his thoughts drifted toward the night of Greil's death. Ike had been trying, vainly, to sleep in the ruins of Gebal Castle, the safe haven that had been given to them before they arrived at Castle Gallia, when he saw Greil leaving and walking into the woods. When he caught up with Greil he asked him where he was going, and why Greil was giving him command of the Mercenaries when he was far from experienced enough to lead them. Strangely, instead of answering either question, Greil asked Ike if he remembered his mother. Then, when Ike admitted that he remembered very little, the talk abruptly ended with Greil ordering him to return to the Castle and then continuing into the words.

It has been told that Ike could be trusted to do what he believed was right, but not what he was told. And, he proved it when he followed Greil and found him in combat against the Black Knight. When the Black Knight had impaled Greil, had killed the mightiest man Ike had ever known, a cold void opened in his chest. It sucked down all thought leaving behind only shock, rage and, some would say, a disturbing lack of common sense. Ike had lunged at the Black Knight and almost lost his head. He lunged again and only a glancing slash sent him staggering back and the flat of the Black Knight's blade knocked air from his lungs and slammed him against an inconveniently placed boulder.

If Caineghis hadn't roared, and informed the Black Knight that he had unwelcome company, Ike might've died along with his father.

Greil's body was buried in what used to be Gebal Castle's Courtyard, with only his axe Urvan and a pile of wild flowers marking the spot. Was it still there or had the grave been pillaged during the fighting along the border of Gallia and Occupied Crimea? Ike had considered reburying Greil at the rebuilt Fort, if the body could be retrieved. Ike still remembered what Greil had asked with his dying breath: to take care of the Company and Mist, to not pursue the Black Knight and to live peacefully in Gallia. So far, Ike had only followed two of those four wishes.

Ike had vowed, despite his youth and inexperience, to lead his father's Mercenary Company. And, he still wanted to do that. He still regarded the eclectic collection of Mercenaries as his family and he did intend to ensure that Mist and the rest of them were in good hands regardless of where, or what, he was.

But, strangely, it no longer seemed like enough.

His eyes strayed now toward Serenes Forest. He thought of the signing of the Treaty of Serenes. He still remembered the signing of the Treaty, the chance it represented for a fresh start between the Beorc and Laguz races, and he remembered the celebration. He particularly remembered waltzing with Elincia and the talk he'd had with Sephiran. And, he realized something: neither choice before him was truly perfect. He could return to the Mercenary Company, but the anonymity he'd hoped to regain would forever elude him. The people who bowed to him in the streets and the Merchants who insisted on giving him their wares and services at ridiculous discounts, if not for free, and the swarms of young women who flirted with him whenever he was within eyeshot would not stop anytime soon. Heck, he'd been a hero for only a month and he already had a World-Class Inn named after him. But, then again, he would still be with the people he loved and honor his father's dying wish. Well, half of Greil's dying wish anyway.

But, on the other hand, there was Sephiran's offer. What if Sephiran was serious? What if Ike could, truly, change things? What if he could take the Nobility, which he despised, and transform it from the greedy, money-grubbing narcissists they were now into something better? What if he could help to cement the bonds between Beorc and Laguz, which he and the others had spent many months and so much blood creating and for which King Ramon and Duke Renning gave their lives? And, all the Soldiers that had lost limbs or sight in the war and all the families that had seen their loved ones slain by the conflict, Ike had seen plenty of both. Could remaining with the Crimean Court give him the power to help them? All of them? To do all these things? And more?

He wanted that, but he knew what it would cost him. He would have to relinquish command of the Mercenary Company, a prospect which would surely delight Shinon, and relocate to Castle Crimea in Melior. And, when and how often, and possibly if, he could see the Greil Mercenaries again would be in the Goddess' hands, as the phrase goes. But, then again, if he stayed with the Greil Mercenaries, how often would his eyes wander in the direction of Melior and wonder if he'd left Ramon's dream to die in his absence?

Then, of course, there was Elincia. He knew now that his earlier self analysis, about how mismatched they were, was little more than a pathetic attempt at rationalization. Ike had long ago been charmed by Elincia's beauty, kindness and innocence. Not as innocent as she had been, perhaps, before having spilled blood for her nation. But, then again, Ike had spilled blood aplenty during, and even before, the war. And, though that bloodshed would haunt their dreams for many a year, neither of them had been tainted by what they'd done. And, through it all, Ike could not shake the memory of that waltz he and Elincia shared nor of their two, secret kisses during the war.

It seemed that, in the end, it all boiled down to a question of loyalties, or simply a question of which was the lesser of two evils. To leave behind the Mercenary Company or to leave Elincia and let the duties of building the future change hands? Neither choice was perfect, but which choice was better?

Then, he realized something else: the Greil Mercenaries had, in a way, answered the question of loyalty already. Titania had been…rather insistent that Ike learn how to waltz. Mist, who'd long since adopted Elincia as the older sister she'd never had, had pushed him, kicked him actually, into dancing with Elincia. Gatrie, Oscar, Boyd and Rolf had, during the later portion of the ocean voyage to Begnion, abruptly took it into their heads that Ike had a girlfriend. He recently overhead Rhys making a prayer to Ashera, and to Greil, that Ike might find happiness 'wherever he may go.' A number of books on politics and Court etiquette, which Ike knew to belong to Soren, had mysteriously found their way into Ike's room. Even Shinon had, during a drunken rant, intimated that Ike liked Elincia. Greil was right, the Mercenaries were like his family: they loved him enough to let him go. (16)

This brought a wave of warmth and affection and no small amount of relief that was as uplifting and energizing as the rays of the morning sun. And, speaking of the morning sun, the eastern sky was now painted with gold as the luminous orb began to rise. Ike regarded this sight with bemusement, was it sunrise already?

"How long HAVE I been out here?" Ike wondered out loud.

"Six hours, give or take a few minutes," a familiar voice replied with a chuckle.

Ike wasn't the least bit surprised when he turned around and beheld Sephiran. Again, Ike found Sephiran's ability to pop up anywhere and seemingly know everything both disconcerting and thoroughly annoying. Still, the Prime Minister of Begnion extending both hands and offering an object to Ike.

"The Greil Mercenaries commissioned this for you," Sephiran told him. "Mist wanted to give it to you personally but she gave me permission to present it to you. She knew I needed to talk to you and, well, you know how boorish I can be."

Ike decided to do himself a big favor by not commenting on that statement.

Ike examined the object and his jaw dropped. It was a scabbard, a magnificent metal scabbard sized to accommodate Ragnell. The edge of the scabbard was adorned with small, thumbnail sized gemstones in an alternating pattern of emeralds, rubies, blue sapphires, orange labradorites and yellow topazes. (17) Inscribed within the enclosure of gems, in what looked like silver, was a simple phrase. Or proverb perhaps.

_Though families may ultimately separate, parents pass away and children grow up and leave home, bonds of love and brotherhood are eternal. Good luck Ike and, wherever you may go and whatever you may do, you will always be welcome with us._

Inscribed below that were the names of each of the Greil Mercenaries, including Mia's as she had joined the group permanently. (18) And, it made that warmth and affection coursing through his body grow and he grinned so broadly that it felt like his face would split open.

"This is quite a wedding gift," Ike commented, trying to conceal the happy tears that threatened to drench the whole balcony.

"You've…," Sephiran began, a trace of anticipation entering his voice.

"Made my decision," Ike finished. "If Elincia accepts, that is."

"I believe she will," Sephiran replied.

As the two men moved towards the door to reenter the Castle, they heard a shout from the street below.

"Hey!" somebody shouted. "What happened to that great statue of General Ike that was on the Castle balcony?"

Ike turned to face Sephiran, one eyebrow arched inquisitively, and Sephiran simply shrugged.

"You'd be surprised how…still you are when you're thinking." Sephiran explained, doing a poor job at muffling his laughter. (19)

Ike rolled his eyes, made a mental note not to invite Sephiran to the wedding if he could help it, and then let it drop. And, with reverence, with gratitude, without fear and without regret, Ike strode into the Castle to embrace his future.

Two years later, in the year 648, Ike and Elincia were wed in the Courtyard of Melior and, despite Ike's glowering, Sephiran was in attendance. While everyone around the Prime Minister of Begnion was thoroughly occupied with the business of celebrating until they dropped, Sephiran himself was pensive. He was silently praying to Ashera that his gamble would pay off.

And, quite a gamble it was.

Sephiran had a rare gift of perception, though he sometimes found it difficult to put into words. He had the ability to perceive, in a limited way, how people could impact the future and he could perceive the connections between such people and the effects those connections had. When he met Ike, as had happened from time to time in the past, a lattice had formed in his mind's eye. Ike was a shatter point, a man who would literally build or shatter the future of Tellius. And, he had perceived a tangle of fault lines of destiny binding Ike to five people: The Black Knight, Elincia, Greil, Ashnard and Sephiran himself. These five, for even the memory and legacy of those whom were dead could have influence, would guide Ike to become either the new hope of Tellius or Tellius' worst nightmare. The fault lines in the lattice bound all their lives and futures together for good or ill. (20)

Though Sephiran could not always interpret the significance of the connections he perceived, and had only his own judgment to rely on for calculating how and when the proper move could be made, his perception never failed to show him something of vital importance. Not long after Sephiran first met Ike, he'd had a second vision. This time Sanaki was the shatter point and she was connected to Ike, Elincia and, astonishingly enough, the extinct Serenes Herons. (21) On one sheer plane that destiny might reach was the symbol Ashera's Divine hands spread as if offering an embrace, a representation of absolution. On the other sheer plane was the image of dark thunder clouds, which Sephiran believed to symbolize everlasting misery. This had baffled Sephiran since the Serenes Herons were believed to be extinct but when Ike discovered Reyson and Leanne, and Leanne somehow persuaded Reyson to make peace with the Apostle, destiny traveled along the fault line to Ashera's absolution. Sephiran's perception was a mystery even to him, but he knew better than to ignore it.

The lattice he perceived now was equally perplexing and, perhaps, even more vital. The sheer plane of the lattice that included the shatter point where Ike laid, was connected to two others and the right strike would move destiny in one direction or another. On one sheer plane that destiny might reach was Greil's axe Urvan, which must've represented the Greil Mercenaries, and another sheer plane bore the image of a wedding ring and a crown which represented the event unfolding between the Lord General and the Queen. And, those sheer planes gave way to two others: one was the image of the banner that Ike had seen in his mind's eye on the night at Serenes Forest and on the other sheer plane was Tellius in flames.

Though these images were fairly self explanatory, the connection between them wasn't. The right strike, or the proper action, would unlock the potential of the shatter point. And, that would send a crack from the shatter point to one sheer plane, to either the Greil Mercenaries or the Throne of Crimea, and from there either to peace or devastation. However, the sheer planes were marred with flaws that could nudge an unfolding destiny down the wrong path. Those flaws, he supposed, were what he'd feared would arise from Ike's story: Envy. By now, everyone knew about Ike: the boy who became a Mercenary, the Mercenary who became a Lord General, the Lord General who overthrew a tyrant and united a continent. Such a story, Sephiran knew, would breed envy, ugly ambition and hatred in those who were jealous of Ike's power and prestige. That, perhaps, was Ashnard's contingency plan: if Ashnard could not embroil the continent in war then his slayer might do so without realizing it. And, Sephiran feared that if Ike received all that and then discarded it that it might fuel the flames that were already crackling to life.

When Sephiran realized that Ike had become enamored with Elincia, he saw an opportunity. He also saw that Ike was different from any Noble, even unofficial Noble, that he'd ever met. Ike had an understanding of the people, especially the Laguz, that the combined, so-called knowledge of the Begnion Senate could not match. Ike was also unafraid to bend the rules if the results were to the better. And, his uncanny ability to draw others to him granted him the loyalty of countless people. Ike was very different from any Noble, in some ways he was better. Vastly so, some would say

He needed to be kept in play on the eternal journey towards a better future.

Sephiran decided, again as he sometimes did in the past, to take advantage of his influence upon the shatter point. Perhaps, if Ike married Elincia and used his traits to guide Crimea into the future that King Ramon had dreamt of, then maybe the people might warm up to him when they saw the good he did with his power. And, possibly, the flaws marring the lattice would smooth away. And, perhaps, that would be the gesture that was needed to guide the future to peace, unity and prosperity and away from Ashnard's vision of hell.

But, that was an exceedingly large 'perhaps.'

And, he wouldn't know if his gamble had worked for some time, until either a golden age dawned or until Tellius turned into a pyre of war, blood and despair. What Sephiran had done had either extinguished the flames Ashnard sought to ignite or had given those flames more fuel to help it burn. And, for now, all he could do was try to enjoy himself, wait and pray that he hadn't just signed the death warrant of all Tellius' peoples.

What Sephiran didn't know was that the first move had already been made. In Ike's borrowed chambers in the Castle was a display rack on which he exhibited the greatest three of his trophies. The first was Ragnell, the sacred blade that he'd used to defeat the Black Knight and slay Ashnard. The second was Alondite, another sacred blade that was Ragnell's counterpart which had been the Black Knight's weapon. The third was the Black Knight's helmet, black colored sacred metal that only a sacred blade could damage, caked with dried blood from the battle with Ike.

Ragnell was still there. But Alondite and the Black Knight's helmet were not. (22)

Author's Note: Well, hopefully, that sets the stage nicely for the other two chapters. I know that I'm tempting fate by pairing Ike up with Elincia so three things: First, flames will be ignored, Second, this works in Sephiran's favor because, with Ike in a position of power, he can remain in play in guiding the future of Tellius. Third, although Ike still hates the pomp and greed of the Nobility, Sephiran talks him into swallowing it by appealing to his altruism. By the way, how'd you like that scabbard? I thought it would be appropriate for the Mercenaries to give Ike the freedom to choose his own future. I also hope that the psychology that Sephiran was working to influence Ike was convincing and that his gift of perception were interesting, since his role in the game is small, though thought provoking, I pretty much did some freewheeling in fashioning his character and motivations. Well, reviews are appreciated and thanks for reading.

Footnotes:

(1) The game, more or less, leaves it to the imagination what the dungeons look like. That is my idea for it.

(2) While there's no evidence that Daein troops burned the Fort, it IS possible.

(3) Basically an early, traveling version of Craps.

(4) I had too much fun writing that, but I think it fits with Mia's character.

(5) I've seen a couple of fics that pair Naesala with Leanne and it makes sense. She might straighten him up, or help Reyson and Tibarn to do so. After she learns English that is.

(6) Greil DID know about the Medallion's power and that Ashnard wanted it. He might've realized that his luck had run out and so he sped up Ike's training.

(7) That was my attempt at a, suitably ironic, reason for Ike to accept peerage as a Lord.

(8) I rather like Nasir, I always try to beat the Black Knight so I can get him.

(9) I know that didn't happen in the game, I took a creative license to it.

(10) During your meeting with the Apostle, she implies that Sephiran isn't his real name.

(11) Again, I took a creative license to that.

(12) This is a direct quote from Ike's conversation with Sephiran at the end of the game.

(13) I've seen, on YouTube, that you can use some sort of code to play as Greil. During that video he uses an axe called Urvan, which MIGHT be his axe from the game.

(14) This banner is an important symbol through the stories, keep it in mind.

(15) Most of that I got from the Supports between the Mercenaries.

(16) This part was inspired by the proverb "If you love somebody, let them go," by Kahil Gibran.

(17) The gemstones represent Ike and Elincia. The rubies represent Ike's cape, the blue sapphires represent his eyes, the orange labradorites represent Elincia's gown, the emeralds represent Elincia's hair and the yellow topazes represent both Elincia's eyes and the color of Ragnell's blade.

(18) During the Epilogue, Mia signs on with the Greil Mercenaries. And, the autographed scabbard is as much the Company's blessing to make his own choice as it is a tool.

(19) I don't know why I wrote that, but it does seem pretty funny.

(20) Since Sephiran is an enigmatic character, I took a lot of liberties with him and, his perception explains why he believes, but does not know, that Ike must remain in Crimea's Court.

(21) Keep in mind, that would've happened before Reyson was introduced so Sephiran didn't know that some Herons had survived.

(22) A bit of, albeit obvious, foreshadowing.


	2. Part 2A

This is the first of two possible results of what occurred during the first chapter. Essentially, this shows what might happen if Sephiran's gamble backfired and, instead of destroying the evil, Ike BECAME the evil. Essentially, I am molding a dramatically changed Ike (i.e OOC) into Tellius' equivalent of Julius Caesar. This chapter is focused on Geoffrey's perspective and, I warn you, it's rather angsty.

Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, I'd be fantastically rich. Alas, I do not.

Part 2A, four years after Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, the year 650

The Dark Side: Flames descend on Tellius

By the time the great doors to the Throne Room finally opened, Geoffrey was already angry. If he'd been asked, he would've denied it and believed that he was telling the truth. Even after growing up around Courtiers and Diplomats and Ambassadors and Dignitaries and Monarchs, he STILL didn't understand how they could take so long to come to any sort of decision. The azure haired Paladin, however, forced those sentiments back below the surface of his subconscious. After all, the late King Ramon and Duke Renning were of the same sort, yet they had treated him and his sister, the azure haired Swordmaster Lucia, like their own children.

That musing brought a pang of regret from Geoffrey, but he shook it off. Ramon was a good King and a wonderful father, but Geoffrey had come to terms with Ramon's death long ago. Besides, there was enough on his mind as it was. Collecting his composure, he strode into the Throne Room. He'd been in there so often that he never really noticed the details of the Throne Room. Now, his alert and stressed mind fed him every single detail. All of it looked different and not in a good way. A deep red carpet joined the great doors with the dais bearing the Thrones. Courtiers were arrayed on either side of the carpet. Geoffrey ignored most of them but two briefly caught his attention. One was Count Bastian; the loquacious Sage who always talked like a character from one of The Bard's (1) plays, whom nodded grave approval. The other was Lucia, who mouthed 'be careful' to her brother. Two members of the Crimean Imperial Guard, both of whom he recognized from before and during the war, flanked the Thrones. One throne, once occupied by King Ramon, was eternally vacant. (2) The other was occupied by Queen Elincia.

Above the Thrones was one of the few truly new additions to this chamber. It was a banner, and yet it was more. In the center of the banner was a cross of sword, axe and lance. The sword represented Ragnell, Ike's treasured sacred blade which he had used to defeat the Black Knight and Ashnard. The axe represented Urvan, (3) the battle axe of Greil. The lance represented Fiat Lux, (4) the weapon that Duke Renning had carried into his final battle and which had been only recently recovered. About the crossed weapons were images of Laguz. The head of a Lion, representing the Beast Tribe, was gazing westward from the crossed weapons. The image of a Hawk, representing the Bird Tribe, gazed eternally toward the east. Below, gazing sightlessly upon the Throne Room, was the head of a Dragon which represented the Dragon Tribe. Perched at the top of the image was a Heron, representing Serenes Forest where the new peace had been forged, its argent wings spread and its beaked head raised in mute song. At the bottom of the image were two hands joined in a sign of brotherhood, one was the clawed hand of a Beast Tribe Laguz and the other was the comparatively unimpressive hand of a Beorc. (5) That banner was the symbol of a new age, of unity and peace between Beorc and Laguz, of the dream that King Ramon and Duke Renning had died for.

It was the banner of the Tellius Alliance, and there were those who feared that this dream was transforming into a nightmare.

Geoffrey approached, as always, walking with the poise and grounded grace of a natural fighter. But, there was cold dread brewing behind his eyes as they discreetly roamed the chamber. He mentally tallied how many others were in the room, their proximity to where he'd stop to bow before the Queen and whether or not any of them were armed. He had a funny feeling that more than a few of those present would not appreciate what he had to say.

Geoffrey stopped and collapsed to his knees in a strangely rushed show of respect. One might've supposed that the azure haired Paladin was simply in a rush to speak whatever news he sought to convey. Others might've thought that he was properly humbled by his liege. Others still might've thought that he had had a difficult journey and was eager to rest his legs while kneeling. They might suppose those things, but they'd be wrong: he was averting his eyes. Geoffrey could look Elincia in the eye and in the face, but he couldn't look at the rest of her. He inwardly cringed when he heard her softly grunt as she rose and he squeezed his eyes shut when he became aware of her heavy, unsteady stride.

"Geoffrey," the emerald haired Queen addressed him, "that is no greeting between friends. Please, rise."

Geoffrey could still be taken by surprise by the new straightforward confidence and poise in Elincia's voice. In the four short years since the war and her coronation, the once demure and shy Elincia had become sure of herself. She had become more self-assured and was no longer intimidated into silence by those who held seniority over her. She also developed an interesting distaste towards bowing.

'Ike has rubbed off on her,' Geoffrey thought tritely.

Geoffrey rose quickly, very quickly and composed himself. Elincia had walked, or rather lumbered, over to him and she was discreetly arching her back to relieve a chronic pressure that seemed in no hurry to vanish. Geoffrey shook himself back to attention and looked into Elincia's face, probably the only part of her that was truly unaltered.

"Your Majesty," the azure haired Paladin addressed politely, "your absence from the recent conference at Delbray Castle has been…criticized."

That was a record breaking understatement. Naesala had flatly accused the Crimean Dignitaries of 'wasting his time' and even Leanne had difficulty placating him. Elincia gave him the serene gaze that he'd seen ever since he was a boy. She ran a hand over her rounded belly. And this time, Geoffrey hadn't averted his eyes fast enough.

"As you can see Geoffrey," she replied, "I'm in no shape to travel."

The azure haired Paladin clenched his teeth to stop himself from saying something he'd regret. Apparently Ike, who was now Elincia's husband and Prince Consort, had been sharing more than just confidence with Elincia. Still, Geoffrey somehow managed to shake both the image of the uppity Naesala and the image of Ike and Elincia…doing the sort of things that likely created the child that she now carried and focused on what he knew about the situation. And, none of it made sense.

Some four years after the signing of the Treaty of Serenes and the beginnings of the Tellius Alliance, Begnion had broken the Treaty. Volke, the Assassin who had been a friend of Greil and Ike's most trusted informant, had discovered that, two and a half months ago the Laguz Emancipation Act had been repealed and that Laguz slaves were again changing hands. And, even more bizarre, the Serenes Legion had reported that a mob of Begnion citizens, along with a full division of Begnion troops, had attacked Serenes Forest. The Serenes Legion, a joint Beorc/Laguz force charged with protecting the sacred woods, had repelled the attack but at great cost in wounded and dead. Begnion's assault was, under the terms of the Treaty of Serenes, an act of war that would be responded to by Crimea, Daein, Gallia, Pheonicis, Kilvas and Goldoa. And, even the nigh-omniscient Volke had no insight into the motives behind this act.

After three demands had failed to dissuade Begnion's inexplicable aggression, and the messengers who had delivered them were returned in varying states of dismemberment, Ike had had enough. With his legendary efficiency, Ike had assembled two full Legions of Beorc and Laguz troops and launched an assault on Begnion's northern frontier. (6) His intent was to, as he himself put it, 'come back either with Sanaki's oath to end these attacks or come back with Sanaki's head.'

Those among the Courtiers who disapproved of Ike's 'radical' alterations to the education system, class structure and the military believed that this had provided the solution. Ike would fight and die in a suicidal war and they'd be free to put the situation back the way they wanted them. Geoffrey, however, had very different sentiments regarding the matter: he was afraid. By all reports, Ike was winning the war. And, if he did win, then what? Ike already ruled Crimea. Tauroneo, the former Daein General and friend of Greil whom became the Steward of Daein, (7) answered to Ike unflinchingly. Caineghis, Tibarn, Reyson and the Dragon Prince Kurthnaga of Goldoa were Ike's staunch allies and Naesala could be made cooperative for the right price. If Ike conquered Begnion, which was now a distinct possibility, it would make him the single most powerful being on Tellius. And, what then?

"Geoffrey?" Elincia interjected.

The azure haired Paladin shook himself back to attention, how long had he been lost in thought? Clearing his throat, he began to speak.

"My apologies," Geoffrey started, "General Ike is about to take Sienne. Apostle Sanaki has summoned every Legion from Tor Garen to the Grann Desert. They're on the move, towards Sienne."

Elincia took this news without a blink.

"How many?" she asked.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand," Geoffrey replied, hoping that figure would carry sufficient weight with her.

"And Ike?" Elincia inquired, her tone unchanged.

"One hundred sixty thousand," Geoffrey answered.

For a long, long moment Elincia regarded Geoffrey impassively. Geoffrey sought in her expression some clue as to what would come next but Elincia's placid features revealed neither fear nor dread nor anger nor joy. He simply saw the familiar expression of serene contemplation that he'd seen on her features countless times before. Then, when she finally spoke, Geoffrey felt his stomach drop.

"He will win," she stated simply, "he has never lost."

"He's never been up against so much!" Geoffrey countered, the desperation he felt escaping into his voice.

Elincia regarded the azure haired Paladin with a raised eyebrow and Geoffrey inwardly kicked himself for his outburst. Still, he fought a losing battle to keep his dread bottled up.

"Your Majesty," Geoffrey implored, this time his desperation laid bare, "please, you must do something. If…if Ike wins this battle…"

"He will become the next Ashnard?" Elincia finished.

The words hit Geoffrey like a punch in the guts and the realization enveloped his mind in a stygian fist of dread. That was the unrealized, but very real, fear that had him begging and pleading before his liege. Now, with the suggestion of the future he'd just heard sent chills up and down his spine. (8)

"That's what you were about to say, wasn't it." Elincia more stated than asked, her golden eyes narrowing. "Well then, why are you worried? You said yourself that he doesn't stand a chance against Begnion's armies so why call him back? If he is the next Ashnard, why not leave him to fight this battle to his own death?"

Though Elincia spoke with impregnable calm, her voice carried accusing undertones that choked Geoffrey's voice away. And, those chills going up and down his spine spread frost to his limps that left him feeling frozen to the spot.

"If you leave him there," Elincia began, "then your next Ashnard will die in disgrace."

Geoffrey had a feeling that this understanding of political subtleties was Soren's handiwork. (9) The azure haired Paladin had hoped, hoped against hope, that Elincia would recall Ike and offer Begnion a chance to repent its bizarre actions. He had also hoped, callous though it was, that her pregnancy would make her malleable to his entreaties. And yet, the opposite had happened. She had seen through his feeble ruse and turned it back against him. Geoffrey didn't need to look behind him to know that some of the Courtiers were moving closer to him. His sharp hearing picked up the cadence of their heels on the stone floor.

He could also hear the grind of daggers being dragged out of their sheaths. He'd have to talk fast.

"Your Majesty," he pleaded, his voice sounding low, soft and choked with anxiety, "I beg of you. Assaulting Sienne might not be necessary, the defeats that Begnion has already suffered might be enough for us to ransom their compliance with the Treaty of Serenes. If we offer terms, they might listen."

The closest Courtier was directly behind him, he heard a blade whistle as it cut through the air and he heard Lucia shout a warning. Before he could act, however, Elincia intervened.

"Halt!" she commanded, the depth of her voice still surprising him.

The Courtier who had come within inches of murdering Geoffrey stopped, dagger poised in midair, and he fixed Elincia with a look of open astonishment. His astonishment then multiplied when the two Imperial Guards flanking the Thrones seized him and dragged him from the room. Geoffrey looked upon this with distress but he wasn't surprised, not in the slightest.

Ike had commissioned a new cadre of Courtiers charged with finding, and 'dealing with,' corrupt Nobles. Often, it was in the fashion that Geoffrey had been very nearly dealt with. And, as that little episode had demonstrated, they were not easily controlled. A recent rash of…vacancies in the Noble's Quarter of Melior lent further credence to that fact. (10) Nonetheless, Geoffrey let the incident drop for the moment when Elincia spoke up again.

"With all due respect Geoffrey," the emerald haired Queen began, "Begnion had three chances for peace and ignored them. Why would a fourth meet with better success?"

That, Geoffrey realized, was a problem. Ike and his personal guard had borne the three messengers back from Begnion. The legs of the first had been hacked off at the knee. The second returned with his right forearm severed at the elbow. The third, probably the worst off of the three, staggered back to Ike with no hands and with his eyes gouged out. Elincia, and all of Crimea for that matter, had seen enough barbarism on Ashnard's part to be less-than-forgiving of Begnion mutilating three unarmed men bearing entreaties for peace. Still, Geoffrey knew one avenue that yet remained to him.

"My Queen," Geoffrey addressed, more calmly now, "the accounts from the injured messengers are…inconclusive. They were ambushed before they reached Mainal Cathedral and they never spoke to the Apostle directly. It is possible that the assaults on our messengers were not sanctioned by Begnion. And, it is equally possible that the Begnion troops that attacked Serenes Forest may have been renegades. We both know that it's possible that Begnion Nobles might've gone rogue and taken their troops with them. You will recall that such happened with Duke Oliver of Tanas during the war."

"Don't remind me," Elincia replied flatly.

Geoffrey had heard the story of Duke Oliver from Ike and Elincia and was fervently glad that he hadn't been forced to deal with the crazed Duke. Duke Oliver had an obsession with Serenes Herons, such as Reyson and Leanne, that verged on psychotic. When Oliver spotted Reyson at Kilvas, he had offered a veritable fortune to Naesala in exchange for Reyson. Naesala had accepted, though he made the dubious claim that he would've freed Reyson later and thus cheat Oliver. An investigation of Oliver's estate had resulted in a pitched battle as well as Reyson escaping into Serenes Forest where he'd been reunited with Leanne and where Oliver was permanently separated from the living world.

"If there is proof that these mobs and Soldiers have been acting against the Apostle's will," Geoffrey began, each word coming out quickly, as if he feared another Courtier's dagger might be approaching to silence him, "then that might be cause to offer terms."

Again, Elincia regarded him with a look of impregnable calm, her features betraying nothing. When she spoke though, the words punched a gasp from his lungs.

"I'm afraid that is out of the question," the emerald haired Queen replied. "Even if your…assertion is correct, only the Apostle herself could have revoked the Laguz Emancipation Act. And, our intelligence shows us that Sanaki is still the Apostle."

Geoffrey had to admit, he didn't have a rebuttal for that. Begnion's sudden repeal of the Laguz Emancipation Act, simply put, made no sense. Though Sanaki looked like a child, she was far from stupid and, during the war, she'd even gone to the trouble of arranging matters to make Ike and the Greil Mercenaries aware of the Laguz Slave Trade so that she could discreetly gather evidence and prosecute those involved without the public knowing that their own Senate was breaking the law. That Sanaki would do all this, and then suddenly reverse her stance completely, was utterly baffling.

"Geoffrey," Elincia addressed, her voice showing her usual concern and thoughtfulness, "I understand. It's perfectly natural to be unsure about fighting people you once thought were allies. I believe that, as an equitable compromise, I will order Ike and his troops to entrench for five days. If Sanaki is, as you seem to think, willing to discuss diplomacy then that will give her a chance. That, however, is as far as I will go."

The azure haired Paladin let out an aggravated sigh, praying that no one heard it. This time, he didn't bother to avert his eyes when he beheld Elincia. His one-time infatuation with Elincia (11) was an old pain, which he'd long ago came to terms with, and he was past the point of bristling at the fact that the child she carried was not his. What bothered him, as he watched the heavily pregnant Queen waddle and lumber back to her Throne and clumsily lower herself into it, was what that child's father was turning into. And, for that matter, what that child might grow up to become.

Geoffrey inclined his head in a quick show of humility, spun on his heel and left the Throne Room, Lucia and Bastian following in his wake. Once the great doors to the Throne Room were closed, Lucia put a sympathetic hand on Geoffrey's shoulder and murmured encouragement while Bastian went into his usual Thespian (12) speech about greeting difficulties and setbacks with perseverance tempered by prudence. Geoffrey, however, heard none of it. Three words now echoed unceasingly in his ears.

'The next Ashnard,' Elincia had told him. This fear had lingered beneath Geoffrey's subconscious but he had never noticed it. It was like a nightmare, hiding on the lid of the eyes to strike when the victim slumbered and then vanishing with the dawn to return again with the night. And then, return again. And, again. And, again. Now, this submerged nightmare had escaped into the waking world and Geoffrey couldn't force it back beneath the fraying veil that separated dreams and reality. Because, in this instance, dreams and reality were joining to produce a nightmare from which there is no waking. Geoffrey walked out of the Castle and strode toward his estate, his vision swimming with unshed tears.

Two weeks later, Geoffrey found himself wandering through the upper levels of Melior. The news that Ike was returning from Begnion via the Riven Bridge had been all over the city, and it started chills at the base of Geoffrey's spine that wouldn't go away. Those chills of dread that had invaded his thoughts, apparently, still lingered for he walked unsteadily, jerkily and seemed to be forcing himself forward. On one of the many curving balconies that jutted out to offer a view of the Triumphal Gate (13) and the Plaza of A Thousand Gardens (13) were three familiar figures waiting for him. Calill, his wife (14) and fellow veteran of the war, greeted him first with a peck on the cheek. Calill; the self proclaimed World-Class Sage, ran the World-Class General Ike's Inn along with her stepbrother Largo; (15) the self proclaimed World-Class Berserker.

Calill was a sweet woman, but her insatiable ego could give anyone a World-Class headache.

Usually, Calill talked, or bragged or gossiped or complained or commented so much that is was hard to get a word in edgewise but now she was dead silent. Lucia twirled one lock of her azure hair around one finger, a nervous habit she'd had even since she even had hair, but made no sound to greet her brother. Bastian nodded a greeting to Geoffrey but said nothing. And, this made Geoffrey all the more nervous. One of these three being silent was enough to set off his internal alarms, but all of them being quiet meant that matters were even worse than he'd expected.

And, he'd expected matters to be very, very bad.

Then, the silence was broken by the cadence of many a heel against the cobble stones below. The Plaza of A Thousand Gardens was filling with townsfolk. Most were Beorc, others were Laguz living in Melior's recently completed Laguz District (13), and at the Bridge of Renning (13) that linked Melior to the Castle, stood Elincia and her Courtiers.

"I swear," Lucia muttered, in a feeble attempt to sound in her customary humor, "she looks like she could give birth on the spot."

"Shut up," Geoffrey replied, more tritely than he'd intended, "you'll jinx it."

Like his sister, he'd tried to inject a note of cheer in his voice but it came out forced, harsh and about as funny as the alleged, inexplicable tendency of men to laugh when stabbed through the heart. Gazing at the Courtiers, Geoffrey wondered how long it would be before he tested that theory.

Ultimately, the Triumphal Gate opened and admitted a slim man in the robes of a Sage. At the sight of him, the kingdom suddenly became silent.

"Friends, Crimeans, countrymen, lend me your ears!" the Sage beckoned, doing a credible enough Bastian impression that the loquacious Count had to muffle an indignant snort. "We are here too celebrate the return of our Lord General and Prince Consort Ike!"

The crowd suddenly burst into a roaring cheer.

"He has returned…," the messenger continued, letting the thought trail away as if to build suspense "…victorious! He returns not only with our regained peace but with Begnion itself! The treacherous Apostle Sanaki and her marauding outlaws have been utterly defeated and the Tellius Alliance shall stand united for all time! And now, I relinquish the floor to let our brave troops enter."

The Sage began to sprint towards the Bridge of Renning just as a great rumbling was heard. Through the Triumphal Gate came rank after immaculately regimented rank of Halberdiers, siege-armored Generals, Swordmasters, Sages, Warriors, Paladins, Bishops, Valkyries, Snipers, Lion, Tiger and Cat Laguz and Red, White and Black Dragon Laguz. In the air above, FalcoKnights, Wyvern Lords and Hawk and Raven Laguz winged through the air in an astounding display of aerobatics, sometimes flying on near intersecting paths that slipped on another by centimeters. At least one member of each regiment was one of the Standard Bearers, carrying a smaller, more functional version of the banner of the Tellius Alliance that had appeared in the Castle's Throne Room. All through the march, the cheering of the people rose in volume until the Plaza of A Thousand Gardens seemed to have become the inside of a permanent thunderstorm. And then, Ike appeared.

Though Ike had not abandoned his distaste for the unnecessary pomp and ceremony of the Nobility, could not resist making an entrance. A chariot soon followed the procession bearing the Lord General. Ike, outwardly, hadn't changed much since the war but Geoffrey could see a few differences as Ike's chariot bore him toward the awaiting contingent of Courtiers. For one thing, he seemed to tower over his fellow Soldiers as if he'd gotten even taller since he'd departed. He waved and saluted to the people with his customary poise, and his newly tanned skin and thickening stubble only added to the chiseled image of a hardened but still dapper handsome young man. And, his eyes were sharper, harder and darker than Geoffrey recalled.

It was, however, the chariot itself that monopolized his attention. Affixed to it, behind and to either side of Ike, were two recently added decorations. And, both of them squeezed Geoffrey's heart into frantic beating. One was a ceremonial robe, obviously designed to be worn by someone who was very short of stature. The other was an ivory Staff of Office. The robe was Sanaki's and the Staff had belonged to Sephiran.

Both were stained with soot and, what Geoffrey strongly suspected, was blood.

On the right side of the chariot, thrust upon the ornamental spikes that lined its edge, were a number of small, lumpy bundles wrapped in cloth. Six of them. Though they were never unwrapped, Geoffrey had a sickening presentiment of what they were. Six Begnion Nobles served as members of Begnion's Imperial Senate, the number was originally seven but the seat vacated by Duke Oliver's treason and subsequent death was never filled. Ike hated Nobles and the Imperial Senate commanded his enmity. And, finally, each of the six lumpy bundles was roughly the size and shape of a man's head.

Six Imperial Senators and six head shaped bundles. Geoffrey didn't even bother trying to tell himself that this was a coincidence.

Ike soon slewed his chariot leftwards and jerked the reins to bring it to a stop alongside the steps leading to the Bridge of Renning. Elincia beat the others to the greeting, quickly engulfing her husband's lips in a long kiss while he stroked her swollen womb. Eventually, the kiss ended and Ike turned to speak to the people.

Another change, Geoffrey noticed, was Ike's voice. It was deeper, more authoritative and instilled both admiration and the barest hint of fear in all within earshot.

"My name is Ike Gawain, (16) Lord General and Prince Consort of Crimea," he informed the people, as was his custom when beginning a speech. "Three months ago, I learned of the bizarre and heinous acts Begnion had committed against its Laguz citizens as well as an attempt to repeat the Serenes Massacre. However, by the courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle shown by the valiant souls who served at my side, I return to you with this news: Begnion's treachery has ended and peace has been restored!"

The cheering began again, this time so loud that it started an aching behind Geoffrey's eyes.

"The past four years," Ike continued, "have been a hard time for all of us. We have seen our homes and communities burned and pillaged. We have seen friends and loved ones dismembered, tortured, mutilated, killed or worse. But, we have come together over these past years, Beorc and Laguz alike. And, it fills my heart with joy and pride to see our races and nations work together to build a better future for our children, our grandchildren and all the generations to follow. And, I could not be prouder to call all of you my brothers and sisters. Our task isn't finished yet, but I know in my heart that we will succeed. I call upon all people of Tellius, Beorc and Laguz alike, to join me in building a united realm for all people of Tellius that is boundless, united and free!"

The cheering started again and this time escalated until it seemed the whole continent roared along. And Geoffrey fell against the rail of the balcony in stunned horror when he realized just what was happening.

Ike was, as of now, the Emperor of Tellius. The slaying of Ashnard had seen the death of one tyrant and the birth of another, more powerful one. And, Geoffrey had no idea what could be done about it.

Bastian, however, did.

The loquacious Count tapped Geoffrey's shoulder and, when all four present turned to face him, he still did not speak. His accustomed cheer gone, he looked desperate and terribly ashamed as he withdrew four small objects from inside his cloak. Four sheathed daggers. This punched a gasp from his lungs when he realized what Bastian was wordlessly suggesting. (17)

They were going to murder Ike and Elincia.

Bastian kept one dagger in his left hand and his right offered the remaining daggers to the others. Calill, a thoroughly melancholy look on her face, took one. Lucia gazed down at Ike and Elincia, at her best friend, her husband and the unborn child that she might've had as a Goddess-Son. (18) Then, choking on tears at the idea of what they had to do, she hesitantly took a dagger.

Geoffrey wished he could take one of those daggers and gouge out his eyes, but even blind he'd see all of this forever. And so, he reached and took the final dagger.

'For my people,' he thought gravely.

The four conspirators made their way toward the Castle, deciding it best to attend to this sordid affair away from the crowds. And, as Geoffrey followed and slid his dagger into the soft concealment of one sleeve, only one thought echoed in his head as he prepared to murder his Queen, Prince Consort and their unborn heir.

'For my people,' was his grave, inward mantra.

And, he hoped repetition would make him believe it after the blood soaked his hands. Or, maybe, that a Courtier would kill him before he had to worry about it.

Author's Note: Well, I'll know how readers took to this when, or if, the angry, torch bearing mob shows up. Saying which, is there something burning or is it just me? Well, I intended for that to be an angsty, unsettling piece and hopefully I succeeded. To draw some connections between this scenario and the story of Julius Caesar, I'll give you a brief explanation. Julius Caesar, out of desire to serve the, then, Roman Republic entered politics on the advice of his friend Pompey the Great, not unlike how Sephiran did the same with Ike in the previous chapter. Caesar eventually conquered Gaul, now France, which doubled the size of Rome's territory and caused the Roman citizenry to favor him over the Senate. Caesar led his Legions across the Rubicon River to seize control of Rome where he was proclaimed Dictator and given control of the Senate and the Courts for life, which brought about the Roman Empire. Ike's conquest of Begnion, thus, achieves the same effect: the Beorc nations are now, as a practical matter, unified under his control and the Leguz nations support his reign. Scary, huh?

The point of this scenario was the potential outcome if Sephiran's gamble in the previous chapter had failed and guided Tellius into war and flame. And, this might not be the worst of it. When Caesar was assassinated, the Roman Empire was plunged into fifteen years of Civil War and the victor Augustus, adopted son of Caesar, established an autocratic rule. If Geoffrey and company's efforts to assassinate Ike succeed, could the same befall Tellius? Like I said, scary.

Footnotes:

(1) William Shakespeare, the playwright whose characters Bastian talks like, is often referred as The Bard. And, I'm guessing Tellius must have somebody similar to Shakespeare.

(2) As a Prince Consort, Ike would not occupy a Throne.

(3) Urvan is, I believe, Greil's axe. I gathered this from a YouTube video that shows Greil as a player and, in his inventory, is an axe called Urvan.

(4) In the art of Duke Renning, he carries a spear and I thought why not include it in the banner? The spear's name, Fiat Lux, means 'Let there be Light' in Latin.

(5) As you may have noticed, the banner in the Throne Room is the same one Ike saw in his waking dream near the end of the last chapter. It will appear again.

(6) Attacking Begnion's northern frontier would mean traveling across Daein and coming down from Tor Garen. This would be a complete reversal their earlier journey in both the physical and political/philosophical senses.

(7) The Steward of Daein, a Steward being one who governs when there is no suitable heir to the Throne, would have to be one of the Daein defectors, namely Jill, Haar or Tauroneo. Of them, I've only used Jill and I wanted her and Haar each commanding a Legion so that left Tauroneo as Steward.

(8) Ashnard has, since the war, become a figure of nightmares. Geoffrey had feared, without realizing it, that Ike might become the next Ashnard. Elincia's question, however, triggered a horrific realization.

(9) Evidently, Soren found Elincia's naiveté too grating and decided to change matters. That, I hope, explains why Elincia seemed OOC.

(10) Essentially, the cadre of new Courtiers act as Assassins empowered to seek out allegedly corrupt Nobles and kill them without trial. Ike and Elincia are, essentially, the sole check on them, and an inadequate one at that.

(11) Geoffrey's supports with Calill suggest that he was once enamored with Elincia, but got over it. Now, Geoffrey is trying to get past the fact that she's another man's wife which is a good bit harder.

(12) Thespian is a fancy synonym for Actor that is still used in association with Shakespeare, the characters of whose creation Bastian mimics in his speaking.

(13) The Triumphal Gate, Plaza of A Thousand Gardens, the Bridge of Renning and the Laguz District are my attempts to craft some detail into Melior, which you enter only for the final level.

(14) I've read a fic or two that show Geoffrey moving on from his crush on Elincia to court either Calill or Nepheene. I chose the former since they can Support and he DID call her a 'gem among stones.'

(15) That Largo and Calill are related in some fashion is a wild guess on my part. None of the siblings in the game Support each other so, based on that pattern, it stands to reason that Largo and Calill are either related somehow or have a platonic relationship.

(16) The Black Knight addressed Greil as 'Gawain, Rider of Daein' so it stands to reason that either Gawain is his surname or that he renamed himself Greil. I'm taking a stab on the former.

(17) The plot to murder Ike, and presumably Elincia and their child as well, is both an illustration of how drastic the situation has become and could act as a critical moment in any future installments. If they succeed, then what will happen to Tellius? Civil War springs to mind.

(18) I'm making a blind assumption that, since Tellius' deity is female, there would be certain differences. Such as, for instance, being the Goddess-parent of a Goddess-child as opposed to the Godparent of a Godchild. But, that's only a guess.


	3. Part 2B

This is the third and, at present, final chapter of this story that demonstrates the second of the two possible outcomes of Sephiran's gamble. This shows the outcome where Ike is the hero (Yay!) and is embroiled in a crisis. Powerful cabals of rogue Nobles are attempting a coup in Begnion, leaving Begnion tottering on the verge of Civil War, if not open anarchy. But, there is more to it than that. Apparently, Ashnard was not the only man intent on freeing the Dark God from Lehran's Medallion. An organization known as Eclipse has cropped up in Begnion, intent on finishing what Ashnard started. This will be focused on Elincia's perspective as she first relates her relationship, and marriage to Ike as well as the birth of their son. She will have several, hopefully realistic, changes to her character to reflect how Ike has rubbed off on her. This will be followed by us learning the details of the crisis in Begnion. I hope that this is a varied chapter, containing elements of romance, light humor, drama and some measure of interest in what might happen next.

Disclaimer: Does anybody actually read these things? I don't own Fire Emblem, Intelligence Systems does. The lucky bastards.

Part 2B, four years after Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, the year 650

The Light Side: Darkest before the Dawn.

Two golden orbs blearily opened, closed and then opened again. Gradually, the ornate ceiling of the Royal Bedchamber of Crimea Castle came into focus. Through one expanse of window, the faintest hint of stars could be seen. They would, however, be erased soon, as the sun was at the beginning of its eternal journey across the sapphire sky. Dawn was not quite upon them yet, and a drowsy Elincia found herself wondering what had roused her at such an early hour.

Then, an ear piercing cry was heard from a cradle on the other side of the room.

'Ah,' the emerald haired Queen thought to herself, 'that's what.'

She'd often heard that one never knew how much of a luxury sleep was until they were a parent and Elincia felt the truth of this every day. Usually around 4 A.M, on average.

She carefully extracted herself from her husband's lethargic grip and padded toward the cradle. She gazed down at the tiny newborn boy who was energetically trying to tear his blanket to shreds and smiled. Scooping up the small, protesting infant, she began to rock him back and forth and to sing the galdr of release, which had been his father and aunt's lullaby, in a hushed tone.

Her pronunciation of the Serenes lyrics, however, left much to be desired.

Gradually, her newborn son stopped crying and began to giggle at nothing in particular. Looking at Greil, the son she and Ike had created, sent a wave of warmth through Elincia's blood that melted away her drowsiness.

In many ways, her marriage to Ike had seemed like a dream come true. Well, not quite. After all, dreams are whatever you make them into. In the waking world, an irritating factor called 'real life' had a tendency to appear at inconvenient moments. Elincia was aware, only too aware, of what Ike had given up to marry her. Their rambling conversations aboard Nasir's ship about his fellow Mercenaries, whom at the time were stinking up the lower decks with near constant bouts of seasickness, had shown her much. Ike's slain father, the original Commander of the Greil Mercenaries and their son's namesake, didn't call his Company a family for no reason.

The Greil Mercenaries were a tight knit group. Elincia could still remember the stories about how Greil had led them with a firm, but fair hand and how he'd never asked anyone to do something he wasn't willing to do himself. She knew of how he'd taken in Oscar and Boyd and Rolf and Soren when they had no one else to turn to and how, when he'd hired Rhys, he always took the time to ensure that the portion of Rhys' salary meant for his ailing parents reached them. (1)

And, in turn, his Mercenaries aided one another. Titania had followed Greil's example and trained the others with patience. Boyd and Gatrie had picked up on Greil's courage and fought with dedication, if not common sense. Rhys, frail though he was, worked as best he could to help the Company, from tending wounds to handling messages to praying for Ashera's favor on their missions. Oscar and Soren, the steadier heads of the bunch, often worked to temper the fervor of the hotheads and, while Soren was always devising ways to change the Company for the better, Oscar acted as a mentor of sorts for those were dispirited. More than once, Ike had relied on Titania, Oscar and Soren for advice and he repaid them by ensuring that not one of them suffered needlessly. Even the children, Mist and Rolf, did their part. Mist had long been the caretaker of the Mercenaries, cooking food, rolling bandages, applying medicines and even finding wildflowers to decorate the Fort. Rolf, under the mentorship of Shinon, trained in secret to be an Archer and, when the time came, he did his mentor and his older brothers proud. (1)

It was not uncommon for the Greil Mercenaries to shield each other from harm, and Ike had a number of scars to prove it. (1)

Elincia, in turn, tried to help them as best she could. During their travels, she often joined Mist and Rhys in tending the wounded after battle, or she would swap her sunset orange gown for a more functional work dress and join Mist in preparing food for the Company. Though she hadn't been trained in politics, she had received the education of a Noblewoman which included a number of recipes that Mist was eager to concoct. And, every once in a while, when Mist's playful side took over, she would hurl a handful of flour in Elincia's face. And Elincia never failed to reciprocate. Mist had, more-or-less, adopted Elincia as the older sister she'd never had and Elincia was touched. (2)

Though Elincia had managed to learn by doing, albeit without realizing it, while dealing with Caineghis and Begnion's Apostle, she soon could no longer stand the dreadful waiting that accompanied each battle. Once she reclaimed her Pegasus, armor and her sword Amiti, she thoroughly surprised Ike by taking the field. During the protracted battle of Fort Pinell, she saw Ike boxed in by a phalanx of Halberdiers and Paladins and flew with desperate speed to save him. Ike had dispatched the five foes in question before she reached him, but he was too exhausted to react quickly enough to the Sniper that had moved in on him. But, he didn't have to. Amiti flashed through the Sniper's neck and Ike instantly repaid the gesture by dispatching two more Snipers that would've put arrows through the back of her skull.

She also recalled, with mixed amusement and embarrassment, a training session they'd had just before the siege of Fort Pinell had commenced. Ike had, unsurprisingly, been able to overcome her with little effort. In fact, he seemed to be almost taunting her with the way he easily, almost contemptuously, deflected her blows with his training sword. She lunged at him, he sidestepped and swung the wooden blade against her lower back to pitch her forward to an undignified, face first landing in the dirt. She had been so enraged and so embarrassed by this, that she charged at him headlong. He merely stuck out his training sword and she ran right into it and she found herself flat on the ground with her whole torso feeling like one huge bruise. (3)

Ike informed her that his father had used a similar training technique, not only to teach Mercenaries how to stay in control of themselves in battle, which Elincia had fallen far short of, but to demonstrate a useful truth about combat.

"If the choice is between getting killed and fighting dirty, choose the second," he told her.

She picked up on this very quickly and proved it…by thrusting her armored heel into his groin. Ike didn't cry out from the, considerable, pain but his grit teeth, bulging eyes and veins popping out all over his neck had sent the whole camp into gales of laughter. Ike, thank Ashera, hadn't taken the embarrassment personally. In fact, he took her quick learning as a sign that he was a good teacher. (4)

Elincia had believed that, at that moment, she'd heard Shinon comment about how much he'd give for a picture of that moment. And, she was fairly certain that Mist and Rolf offered to paint one for a 'decent payment,' to which Shinon instantly agreed. Ike, of course, greeted this with a long laugh and told her that they'd never do anything like that. But, the day after, Mist and Rolf suddenly went into Mist's tent with some art supplies, the origin of which Ike could not guess. And then, Shinon left that same tent the following day with a large, rectangular object covered in heavy cloth. Hours later, Mist and Rolf returned from a nearby village, having somehow acquired the funds for three dresses that Mist had begged Ike to buy for her and the silver tipped arrows that Rolf had long wanted. (4)

By his own admission, Ike was not the sharpest sword in the proverbial armory but even he could see that there was something very suspicious about these occurrences.

She still blushed like a schoolgirl when she remembered that tentative, but surprising, kiss they'd shared just before Ike met and conquered the Black Knight. The second one, much longer and more intense but still secret, had sent her into a furious sea of euphoria. She realized that she had fallen in love with Ike long before then, she just hadn't known it. Still, she didn't think anything would come of it. Ike couldn't stand the pomp and self-centered ways of the Nobility and she knew that he wanted to return to his Mercenary Company, so she prepared herself to relinquish him. But, for no discernable reason, he did not renounce his title of Lord immediately after the war as he had implied. (5) Instead, he stayed advising her of potential threats from Ashnard loyalists and anti-Laguz factions. He also oversaw the nigh-miraculous reconstruction of Crimea and even, as he put it, 'got his hands dirty' by helping the workers.

The Courtiers and the citizenry had warmed up to him swiftly. One of the Courtiers, a younger one who'd been elevated to her inner circle after the war, said 'I Like Ike,' (6) and this simple, though welcome, phrase proved bizarrely contagious.

Then, two years after the war, she was filled with surprise and pure, uncontrollable joy when he asked her to marry him.

Ike soon explained to her the realization he'd gotten from his talk with Sephiran and the night of soul-searching on Castle Crimea's high balcony. And, he explained something very important, but hardly surprising, to her: the Greil Mercenaries were his family because they loved him enough to let him go.

In fact, Ike still suspected them of playing matchmaker between the two of them. And, on their Wedding Day, the Mercenaries had wished him the best with Mist…ordering him to make her some nephews and nieces. Shinon mentioned something about trying to become the new Commander. Titania drew Ike into a long tight hug and shed joyous tears. And, Boyd declared that he was going to 'party like it's 999.'

Ike was a better husband than she could've dreamed, but he was not a perfect man. At times, he could be moody and impulsive, as his outburst before Sanaki had demonstrated. He had also, until recently, grappled with self doubt. Inheriting leadership of the Mercenaries long before his time, the fear that one mistake on his part could cost a friend's life gnawed at him day and night. And, Ike's modesty and altruism sometimes worked against him. Though Elincia believed his indelible humility was an honorable quality, she couldn't shake the feeling that Ike seemed to be belittling his own accomplishments. And, she still recalled Ike's near disastrous but ultimately successful efforts to find and rescue the maddened Reyson from Serenes Forest and his less-than-fruitful attempts to help the dislocated people of Talrega. (7)

Yet, every one of his flaws was more than outweighed by the goodness in him.

Ike was a man with a greatness of spirit. His courage and determination were unmatched, even if he himself would never admit it. He had a strong sense of justice and decency that gave him the will to defend a battered Ranulf against a crazed mob of his own countrymen, to pursue a threatened survivor of the near extinct Serenes Herons who hated him and to try and save the citizens of an enemy nation from being sacrificed by their own King. Though Ike was enchanted, as it were, by the vision of peace and unity between Beorc and Laguz that Elincia's late father had envisioned, he also had the realism to know that fulfilling that dream would be long and hard. But, he also had the determination and will to try. Perhaps Ike's greatest trait was his honesty. Not the straightforward bluntness that everyone seemed to think would put him in an early grave, but his ability to look into himself, to see what he believed was the right thing to do and the honesty to voice it. And, just about always, act upon it. (7)

And, Elincia soon found that Ike had rubbed off on her a bit. Perhaps, in a way, the Greil Mercenaries as a whole had changed her. Though Elincia was still the regal, serene faced beauty that she was when she and Ike first met, she had changed. She smiled more readily now, sometimes she even made jokes and she was no longer afraid to argue her point with those who had seniority over her in age and experience, nor did she shy from dispensing gentle sarcasm amongst friends. She'd even begun to share Ike's distaste for the practice of bowing and, though she couldn't exactly do away with it, she did encourage her Courtiers to rise and look her in the eye when they spoke to her. She still needed to remind them of this from time to time but, they did seem to be trying. (8)

Ike had given her so much and, about eleven months ago, they gave each other a gift beyond gifts which she now cradled lovingly in her arms. When she told Ike that she was pregnant, he was as giddy as a schoolboy. Greil had been born barely two months ago. He was almost as big as Elincia's less-than-svelte appearance near the end of her pregnancy would've suggested. But, not quite. Though he seemed as fragile as he was precious, she could tell that he would grow into a strong man like his father and grandfather. He had the beginnings of a head of azure hair, probably unruly like his father, as well as her golden eyes.

Elincia sensed that Greil would soon be wanting his breakfast so she cupped him in one arm against her slender torso, freed the other from the sleeve of her nightgown and…adjusted it so that she could properly nurse the famished newborn. As Greil began to drink his fill from her breast, she turned to face Ike who, despite her hushed singing and their son's anything-but-hushed crying, hadn't budged. And the sight caused her to snicker, even after fighting in a war, traveling across the whole continent, leading armies and fighting battles beyond count, Ike's sloth sleeping habits were legendary. (1)

The snicker, however, was choked away by the memory of how he'd come in last night. Ike had been on deployment in Begnion, investigating reports of 'highly suspicious and alarming activities' on the part of the local Nobles. When Ike first heard about this, he'd nearly laughed his head off. He remembered, quite fondly, the last time such 'activities' had been brewing in Begnion.

It had been three months ago. Or, was it five? So much had changed so fast over the last four years that the weeks and months seemed to smear together. Still, a renegade battalion of Begnion troops under the command of a mad Count had attempted to repeat the Serenes Massacre. The Serenes Legion, a joint Beorc/Laguz force charged with protecting the Forest, was ready to meet them and Ike's own troops of the Crimean Legion were racing to join them. In the end, their haste proved far from necessary.

Though the surviving Serenes Herons remained committed to a life of peace and piety within the Forest, the Forest itself had learned from its previous death. Whether it was a new, or previously undiscovered, form of the Forest's magic or whether Soren had been demonstrating his keen wit and foresight once again could not be determined but the results were obvious. They were also incredibly amusing.

Before the astonished eyes of the two Legions, vines dangling from the trees suddenly snaked towards the legs of the rogue Count's troops. Then, inexplicably, the vines tightened with an unseen grip. Those thus entangled suddenly found themselves being swung into the air and then back to the ground. Painfully. This bewildering, but helpful and thoroughly hilarious, display just kept on going and going and going until the rogue Count's troops surrendered. (9) Though Elincia was somewhat dubious, Ike claimed that one of them said 'Please don't let the trees kill me!' Unless one counted dying of laughter, Ike's Crimean Legion took no casualties.

One of the newer recruits to the Crimean Legion, who was also a teacher, had started the hilarity up again when he'd said 'I usually tell the children that trees are the most benign of the Goddess' creations, but I may have to soon change that.' (4)

Elincia had nearly laughed herself into a fainting spell when she heard all that. But, when Ike staggered in last night, it was clear that this recent incident was a very different story. Though Ike hadn't noticed, Elincia had been awake when he'd stumbled in and Elincia could see him clearly enough by the moonlight. She had been terrified when the Crimean Legion had returned from Begnion without him. They told her that he just left to do some 'fact finding,' and said he'd be back soon. When one day and then two passed with no word from Ike, she began pacing everywhere like a caged animal with every bone aching with helplessness. Ike had been gone for six days and nights when he finally staggered toward their bed in the early evening. Seeing him alive and unharmed should've sent her heart leaping in her chest and she would've vaulted out of bed to embrace him and kiss him and thank Ashera for her benevolence in returning her husband. But…

Ike looked bad.

He looked old, ancient like the Deghisea, the Black Dragon King of Goldoa, was ancient. Possessed of age beyond reckoning, haggard, exhausted and in terrible pain. And, on his face, behind the unruly growth of azure stubble, sunken cheeks, lightless eyes and too dark tan, was something Elincia never dreamed she'd see there.

Ike looked FRIGHETEND.

She'd been about to speak, to ask what had happened or if needed a healer, but he collapsed onto the bed and seized her with desperate strength. The sort of desperate, tense strength with which a condemned man might hold onto his last hours of life. After a brief, anguished moan and a sob, he fell right to sleep. (10) Elincia, her mind churning with questions and fear, took quite a while to follow suit.

Ike didn't look much better now. There was a light smudge under his eyes, a telltale sign that he'd been forgoing sleep. Probably pretty often too. His face had been weathered, more so than usual, by many an hour spent under the wrath of sun and wind. His skin was darker than it should've been and his face was becoming lined before his time. His cheeks were sunken and, looking at his torso, it looked as if he'd lost more than twenty pounds since he'd departed. Still, he didn't toss or turn and he wasn't mumbling in his sleep. It seemed that, whatever had happened, he'd at least been granted the small miracle of a peaceful night's sleep.

Still cradling their tiny son, who seemed as ravenous as Ike would likely be when he awoke, she moved toward the bed and gently lowered herself to sit on it. Ike did not stir at either the muffled sound of her bare feet padding across the carpet and flagstones or at the mattress shifting under him from the addition of her and her tiny passenger. When Greil had, briefly, disengaged from his drinking to emit a tiny burp, Ike mumbled and opened his eyes. When Ike beheld his wife and son, not to mention the amusing moment he'd caught her in, he gave her a fatigued but genuine smile.

"Do you mind?" Elincia asked, feigning irritation as Greil decided upon a second helping.

"No, but thanks for caring," Ike replied in a light tone, not showing the faintest hint of turning around.

A breathy sigh escaped the emerald haired Queen's lips as her tiny son, finally, had drunk his full.

Before long, Ike was up and about and in the midst of his customary morning routine which, he'd insisted, would save him from being ruined by the sedentary lifestyle of a Noble. Elincia briefly snickered at the thought of how Sanaki would react if she saw Ike, shirtless, doing pushups in the Royal Bedchambers and using the elegant balustrade, which wound its way across the ceiling and to the floor, to do pull-ups. (11) Though the child-like Apostle had long since stopped being alarmed at Ike's quirks, Ike could still frustrate her without even trying.

Though Ike betrayed no hint of the choking dread that had him staggering, quaking and looking as if he had foreseen his own death coming before the dawn, he still looked bad. Not as bad as last night, not panicked and ill and half-starved, but he looked preoccupied, troubled and very alone. Still, Elincia didn't say anything because she trusted him enough to confide in her when he was ready.

They were well into breakfast, the speed with which Ike inhaled his meal giving testimony to how long he'd gone without food on his mysterious fact finding hunt, when Ike began to tell her.

The first part of his explanation was grim, but not really surprising. The situation in Begnion was far worse than they'd surmised. There were at least two factions, both large and well armed and organized, seeking to overthrow the Apostle. The first faction was led by Archduke Meron d'Agincourt, a fanatic who used an extremist interpretation of Ashera's Scripture to justify the mass murder of Laguz to prevent the birth of the Branded. The Branded, such as Ike's long time friend and advisor Soren and Stefan; the closemouthed Swordmaster from Grann Desert, were children whom were born of a union between a Beorc and a Laguz. Though the mark on the forehead, the sign of a Branded, could appear in any generation down such a bloodline, they were long since viewed as profane. (12)

Following the Treaty of Serenes many religious reformists had urged reaching out to the Branded, saying they could be 'brought into the House of the Goddess.' Based on the reports from Begnion, Elincia now knew that many such reformists had either relocated to Daein and Crimea or had been murdered by d'Agincourt's followers.

The second faction was led by Baron Marcel de Layle, the 'Prince of Opportunism,' as his foes called him. Marcel de Layle was an expert in espionage and emotional and psychological manipulation. His tactics could garner begrudging respect even from Soren. While Meron d'Agincourt used mobs of frenzied fanatics to overwhelm his foes, Marcel de Layle used surgical strikes and his charisma to manipulate those close to the Apostle into defecting to his cause. Such manipulations had resulted in three, narrowly averted, assassination attempts on the Apostle.

Thus the Begnion Empire, the largest and most powerful nation on Tellius, was tottering on the verge of Civil War, if not open anarchy. The Imperial Senate had even thought the situation desperate enough to suggest to the Apostle that she'd have to ransom the revocation of the Laguz Emancipation Act in exchange for a truce from d'Agincourt and de Layle's factions. Sanaki, however, valiantly refused.

But, there was more to it that that. A third faction had emerged. The only clue about them thus far was a calling card they left: the image of the moon blotting out the sun, which had garnered them the tentative name Eclipse.

Eclipse had a very unusual, but frighteningly effective, way of fighting. Their members would disguise themselves as common folk, but concealed under their clothing were steel, fuse equipped balls filled with explosive powders. Then they would walk to a crowded place, such as a market or major thoroughfare, and then light the fuses. The Eclipse member and everyone within thirty paces would be killed in the resulting blast while others would be horribly wounded by the flying shrapnel and heat or blinded by the intense light.

Then, the whole city where this took place would be enveloped in panic for hours, if not days. And Ike told her that he'd seen five such acts in as many days.

At first, Elincia thought this was what had Ike so troubled. After all, anyone who could form such a group and convince people to carry such deadly devices for use against innocent people, was probably the greatest form of evil she'd seen since the ruthless aggression of Ashnard.

While Ike was certainly shocked and horrified by these suicidal murderers, it was what they said that caught his attention. Preceding each explosion was a strange recitation from the Eclipse bomber and Ike had heard five different recitations.

'The Dark is generous. Its gifts are concealment and illusion.'

'The Dark is patient. Even stars fade.'

'The Dark always wins. It always wins because it is everywhere.'

'The brightest Light casts the darkest shadow.'

'Which each victory of the Light, it is the Dark that truly wins.'

"Why are those…chants so important?" Elincia asked.

There was little point in asking if they were important. Ike had realized their importance enough to race across the whole continent for days on end without food or rest while investigating their meaning.

"The runes on Lehran's Medallion translate to those phrases," (13) Ike answered flatly.

Elincia's eyes widened in terror and Greil nearly fell from her suddenly nerveless fingers. She was only too familiar with Lehran's Medallion, in which the Goddess Ashera had imprisoned the Dark God who had eternally submerged all the lands, save Tellius, in a watery tomb. It was believed that, should a war occur that engulfs the entire continent, then the Dark God could be released by one of the bloodline of Altina. Altina had aided the Goddess Ashera in imprisoning the Dark God and then founded Begnion, and her bloodline held the power to free the Dark God by singing the galdr of release. That had been the true goal of Ashnard, believing that the power of the Dark God could be used to make him supreme ruler of Tellius. But, his understanding of how the Dark God could be freed was incomplete and thus his evil designs failed. (14)

Lehran's Medallion, once under the guardianship of the Serenes Herons, had come into the possession of the family of Ike's father, the original Greil, many years ago. Ashnard, after arranging the Serenes Massacre, had captured both a surviving Heron named Lillia and the Medallion and sequestered both at Palmeni Temple. Elena, Ike's mother, was living at Palmeni Temple at the time and had taken pity upon Lillia. Lillia had taught Elena the galdr of release, told her of Altina and given her the Medallion. Elena had escaped the Temple, met Greil and the two had sired Ike and Mist.

The Medallion, however, had painted the next few years with brushstrokes of tragedy. While in hiding, Greil had inadvertently touched the Medallion and the bloodlust and hatred of the Dark God seeped into his soul. First, he'd killed twelve Daein Assassins that had been sent to murder him, then the family that had concealed him and after that he'd murdered a small village worth of people.

Elena had managed to get the Medallion away from him, thus breaking the curse, but at the cost of her own life.

When Greil discovered that Mist's soul was somehow immune to the Dark God's influence, as Elena herself was, he gave it to her and told her to keep it safe. And, on that terrible night near Gebal Castle in Gallia, Greil gave his life to keep its location secret from the Black Knight. The Medallion, which had been reclaimed after the war, had been returned to Serenes Forest. And, everyone hoped that was the end of it.

Apparently, they were wrong.

Eclipse, evidently, knew of the Medallion and its powers and it didn't sound coincidental that their chants, as well as their name, were associated with darkness consuming the light. If Eclipse had the same goal, of releasing the Dark God, then their only logical targets were Sanaki and Serenes Forest itself. The child like Apostle was of Altina's bloodline (15) and knew the galdr of release. And, even worse, the Medallion itself was in Serenes Forest.

Contemplation of Serenes Forest brought Elincia into a state of contemplation. She still remembered the colorless, deathly ruin that Serenes Forest had once been and she remembered how Reyson and Leanne's singing the galdr of rebirth had caused the Forest to spring back to life. She also recalled the signing of the Treaty of Serenes and how, in that same evening, she and Ike realized that they loved each other and Sephiran had given Ike the nudge he needed to act upon it. It had also seen the birth of the Serenes Legion, Ike's pet project. The Serenes Legion, fighting under the banner of a singing Heron, was the first joint Beorc/Laguz fighting force commissioned since the war. Its members included the Laguz Emancipation Army, led by Tormod; the spunky young Mage, and his best friend Muarim; a Tiger Laguz and liberated slave, both of whom had served alongside Ike in the war, as well as the men of Crimea's Fifth Platoon, led by Kieran. And, most recently and perhaps the most incredible, was a discovery by Reyson and Leanne mere weeks ago: the surviving magic of the Forest, in addition to protecting Leanne from the Serenes Massacre, had also protected a number of Heron nests. And those nests were filled with eggs that may yet hatch. With a little time, no small amount of hard work and a healthy dose of luck, the near extinct Serenes Herons might one day flourish again. (16)

There was no other way to describe it, Serenes Forest was a place of miracles. And now, it was in dire jeopardy.

Ike's plan, of having Apostle Sanaki and the citizens of Sienne evacuate in case the rebels overwhelmed the Capital, was a good one. The idea of having them evacuate to Serenes Forest, however, gave her pause. Ike had informed her that there was no alternative, the rebels already controlled all the ports and the path through Tor Garen into Daein, which made escaping Begnion all but impossible for unarmed civilians. And so Serenes Forest was the only place they could go. Still, neither of them liked it.

Though Reyson had let go of his hatred for Begnion long ago, it was doubtful he'd be pleased at the prospect of Beorc refugees swarming into his home. Reyson was also aware that one such refugee might find and touch the Medallion and be sent into a murderous frenzy. Ike told her that he was still working out the details of how to address both problems. He'd also asked everyone he knew to be familiar with the lore of Lehran's Medallion to compile everything they knew that might explain how the Dark God, inexplicably, had a formidable contingent of mortal followers. Ike also told her that keeping Sanaki out of Eclipse's hands was critical.

Though both doubted that Sanaki could be persuaded or forced to sing the galdr of release, which would grant the Dark God his freedom, is was not a theory that they were eager to test. (17)

Ike suddenly gave a shudder, as if talking about Lehran's Medallion had reopened many old wounds. His eyes, again, looked lightless and dying. At this sight, Elincia had seen enough. She reached to her husband with one arm and grasped his shoulder. When she spoke, she looked him dead in the eye with an unwavering gaze.

"Ike, listen to me," she told him. "We haven't lost yet. The Medallion is still safe, the Serenes Legion is our best force and Caineghis, Tibarn, Reyson and Kurthnaga would never let us down. We can still survive this just like we survived the war, you'll see."

"It may be too late already," Ike answered, his voice wavering.

"And, it might not be," Elincia persisted. "A wise young man once told me 'As long as people are willing to fight for the peace created at Serenes, as long as people are willing to fight for their future, then the future will always be bright. All we have to do is to try and that will make the difference.'"

A smile, a tired smile but a smile all the same, slowly dawned on Ike's face as he remembered saying that about the Treaty of Serenes.

"I seem to have forgotten that young man," he replied wistfully. "Thanks for reminding me."

"It was the least I could do," Elincia replied.

She meant it too, because there was more that could be done. Ike had done everything he could, for the time being, to find out more about Eclipse and what he needed right now was time to heal. From what her Advisors and the Crimean Legion had told her, Ike would be needed in Begnion again but not for two weeks. And, she planned on putting that time to good use.

"You know Ike," she began, "we never did take that trip to the Moonstone Lake (18) that I suggested when we were engaged."

Ike had shown her the Moonstone Lake during their engagement, an isolated lake of pristine water that, by moonlight, would glow like so many melted gemstones. The Greil Mercenaries, since their founding, had gone there every year to spend some time in peaceful surroundings away from the business of slaying Brigands. Time in the open air, sunshine, brisk swims through the luminous waters that gave the lake its name and spending time with his son seemed like the best medicine for her weary, but unbroken, champion. Even better, if the Greil Mercenaries maintained their traditional visits they'd be there by tomorrow. Seeing some old friends would do wonders for Ike.

Goddess knows he'd more than earned it after nearly five years of tireless service. And, by the look of things, he agreed.

"I'll pack my swimwear," he told her, starting towards the door.

"I don't recall saying you needed to bring that," she told him, her voice rife with girlish mischief. (19)

Ike came to a jerky stop and spun to face Elincia, trying to look shocked but chuckling under his breath.

"Why Your Majesty," Ike began in his best faking-shocked voice, "whatever has gotten into you?"

"You did, My Lord Ike," Elincia replied, the formal name she once called him now only used in well meaning jest, and indicating toward Greil. "Nine months later, he came along," (19)

Sometimes a little teasing was the best way to get Ike to loosen up and relax. After a brief look of comical disbelief, that the shy and demure Princess he met over four years ago had just made a dirty joke, Ike burst into a gale of genuine laughter.

That, and the sudden return of light to his eyes, was all Elincia needed to see. Ike was back on form. And, after two weeks at the Moonstone Lake, he would seem like his old self again.

By the next morning, the small family was settled into the refuge of Moonstone Lake. As Elincia had anticipated, Titania, Mist, Soren, Oscar, Boyd, Rolf, Gatrie, Shinon, Rhys and Mia were all there, along with Astrid whom Gatrie had finally mustered the courage to propose to. (20) Two more familiar faces, Zihark; the idealistic Myrmidon and Ilyana; the lavender haired Mage, both of whom had served with Ike in the war, had moved back to Crimea and had joined the Greil Mercenaries. The two were also living proof that opposites attract. Zihark was a grizzled swordsman, Ilyana was a Mage as delicate as a china doll. Zihark was a wanderer while Ilyana valued stability. And, most interesting, Zihark could muster the strength to fight and march on only one meal a day while Ilyana could eat enough for five people and neither show any sign of becoming full or of gaining weight. (1)

And, of course, the Engagement Ring on Ilyana's finger and the way Zihark kept putting his arm around her shoulder offered further evidence of their attraction.

Mia and a less frail looking Rhys had also gotten married recently. To the unabashed astonishment of the whole continent, after countless hours of tiring and very painful training, Rhys had gained the strength and health to defeat Mia in a spar. The two of them had wed, some say, barely a week later. To Ike's surprise, Mia was rocking a baby girl, her and Rhys' daughter Jenna, in her arms with a gentility that none would've guessed that she possessed. Elincia could still remember Mia and Rhys' last visit to Castle Crimea. Mia had been halfway through her pregnancy and her impending parenthood made the bouncy-as-hell Myrmidon even bouncier than usual. (21)

Assuming, of course, that was even possible.

Rhys had been relieved, incredibly relieved, that Mia's less-than-advisable hyperactivity hadn't harmed their child. And, nobody was at all was surprised to see that, rather than a rattle, Jenna had a tiny rubber sword as her favorite plaything. (21)

Watching Ike talking and laughing and enjoying himself with the Mercenaries who'd been like his family dredged up an old question that had long haunted Elincia: did Ike regret leaving the Greil Mercenaries to marry her? It was the evening of their fourth night on the Lake when she finally mustered the courage to ask.

"Well," Ike replied, "there was this one time. I believe it was when you were two months along with Greil, at that ball held on the anniversary of the Liberation of Melior. Well, in the middle of our waltz, I sent you into a twirl and brought you closer. Then, your cheeks bulged and…" (4)

Elincia, desperately trying not to laugh herself into a fainting spell, cut him off.

"Don't finish that sentence," she told him, trying to sound stern but her grin interfering.

Perhaps the orchestra abruptly speeding up, and their waltz following suit, had caused it. Or, maybe she'd chosen her dinner poorly that night. Whatever the reason, her stomach seemed to inexplicably leap into her throat, plummet down into her ankles and then rocket up into her mouth. Her face turned as green as her hair and, well, further details are hardly necessary.

Nobody, for the life of them, seemed able to explain why they called it morning sickness when it could just as easily strike in the middle of the evening.

When the two returned to the Royal Bedchambers, Ike peeled the stained-beyond-recovery silken robe that one of the Courtiers had insisted on him wearing, tossed it to the floor and then thanked Elincia for, unwittingly, making sure he didn't have to wear that 'stiff clown outfit' again. (11)

Still, Elincia had asked him to tell her honestly: if he had it all to do over again, would he have still chosen to marry her. Ike did not speak, but the loving gleam in his eye and the feel of his strong hands on her shoulders and the long, probing kiss he gave her was all the answer that she needed.

After two weeks of swimming, hiking, catching up on the goings-on of friends, reminiscing, watching baby Greil being fussed over by his aunt and catching up on proper…late night activities, Ike and Elincia returned to Castle Crimea. Waiting for them, were the Legions that would spearhead the attack against the Begnion rebels and Eclipse. The Crimean Legion, under Ike's command, had been joined by four others: The Wild Cats Legion, the Chimera Legion, the Wings of Daein Legion and the New Talrega Legion. (22) The Wild Cats Legion was a unit of Gallian Beast Tribe Laguz led by Lethe and the Chimera Legion was a mixed unit of Beast, Bird and Dragon Tribe Laguz under the command of Ranulf. The Wings of Deain and New Talrega Legions both consisted entirely of Wyvern Lords and were commanded by Haar and Jill respectively.

. The banner of Ike's Crimean Legion was, at least in Elincia's opinion, the most striking of those displayed. In the center of the banner was a cross of sword, axe and lance. The sword was Ragnell, Ike's treasured sacred blade which he had used to defeat the Black Knight and Ashnard. The axe was Urvan, (23) the battle axe of Greil, Ike's father and their son's namesake. The lance was Fiat Lux, (24) the weapon that Duke Renning, her Lord Uncle, had carried into his final battle. About the crossed weapons were images of Laguz. The head of a Lion, representing the Beast Tribe, was gazing westward from the crossed weapons. The image of a Hawk, representing the Bird Tribe, gazed eternally toward the east. Below, gazing sightlessly upon the troops marching under it, was the head of a Dragon which represented the Dragon Tribe. Perched at the top of the image was a Heron, representing Serenes Forest where the foundations of Tellius' future had been laid, its argent wings spread and its beaked head raised in mute song. At the bottom of the image were two hands joined in a sign of brotherhood, one was the clawed hand of a Beast Tribe Laguz and the other was the comparatively unimpressive hand of a Beorc. Ike had designed the banner himself and, when Elincia asked where the idea had come from, he told her that he'd just dreamt it up and liked it.

After a farewell kiss to Elincia and a second upon the brow of his son, Ike called the combined Legions to attention. Ike walked with the grounded grace of a natural fighter, shoulders squared, back straightened and walking with measured strides. It was almost as if the chill waters of Moonstone Lake had frozen away the dread that was eating away at him. Or maybe that dread was burned away by the warmth created by the quiet nightly celebrations he and Elincia had in the retreat's bed chambers. Whatever the cause, Ike once again seemed like the young man who had led armies into battle and to victory, and who would do so again.

"My name is Ike Gawain, (25) Lord General of the Crimean Army," he began, in his now customary fashion. "I know many of you remember the Liberation of Melior four years ago. Though that was our darkest hour, it became our finest hour. Beorc and Laguz, from all corners of the continent, once sworn enemies, banded together to confront the tyranny of Mad King Ashnard and the far greater threat of the power of the Dark God contained within Lehran's Medallion. With terrible sacrifice and against the odds, we achieved a victory that changed the course of Tellius' history. We are now called upon to repeat that victory. Our goals are simple: defeat the rebels in Begnion, defeat Eclipse and ensure that Lehran's Medallion does not fall into the wrong hands. Beyond that, usual rules: I don't want any of you dying on me! Remember—you only have one life! At a time like this, it doesn't matter what our blood ties are. We are family. So if you don't want to cause your family any grief, then live! Don't drop your guard! Don't turn your back! Use every drop of your strength! (26) Our road has been, and shall be long and hard but I know that each and every one of you is up to the challenge. Now, MOVE OUT!"

With that, the Beorc members of the combined Legions began to mount horse and Wyvern while the Laguz transformed either to run or fly alongside their comrades. As Ike mounted his own horse, he turned to face Elincia. He didn't blow her a kiss, or shout that he'd be back soon or crack a joke to calm her. Instead, he conveyed a single, simple message with his eyes: 'I'll be back, trust me.'

And, she did. As the combined Legions thundered towards and over Riven Bridge, across the vast snowfields of Daein and then to Tor Garen to enter Begnion to rescue their besieged allies, she trusted him to return just as he trusted her to be waiting for him. She gazed down at her tiny son, now asleep in her arms, and warmth and worry mingled in her heart. Tellius' future, the future of the land her son and many other sons and daughters would grow up in, now seemed as fragile and as delicate and as precious as the baby she now cradled. And, she could only pray that it would survive the coming trial.

"I can't believe Ike told us to stay here!" a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

She whirled to see a small group of riders approaching and her jaw dropped when they got close enough to be recognized. It was the Greil Mercenaries!

"Stuff it Boyd!" snarled Shinon. "Pffh, I can't believe the nerve of that pup."

Titania, who was leading the band, rode toward Elincia and then jerked on her reins to bring her white stallion to a stop.

"Your Majesty," Titania greeted respectfully, "Ike has requested that we ensure the safety of you and Greil in his absence."

Elincia, yet again, wondered what she did to deserve such a husband. But, she let it drop and turned her attention to the Mercenaries who'd been her husband's family and some of the best friends she'd ever had.

"You have my oath that you'll be properly compensated," she told them, "Goddess knows I still owe you much from the war."

Shinon opened his mouth, probably to agree with Elincia's point, but Titania cut him off.

"No need," she replied. "This is on us."

Elincia, and probably Shinon as well, looked on Titania with shock but Titania only gave an ingratiating smile.

"Don't you remember?" she asked. "Ike may have moved out of the house, but he's still part of the family. So are you, and the baby too." (27)

"Besides," Mist piped in, "do you think I'd pass up the chance to see my favorite nephew."

"Um, Mist," Rolf interjected shyly, "he's your ONLY nephew."

"And, your point is?" Mist shot back.

With that, Elincia graciously accepted, for the second time, the services of the Greil Mercenaries. And, as they approached Crimea Castle, Elincia felt the weight of her worries burn away under the light of the dawning sun. Ike would return to his family in due time, and she'd be waiting for him. And, gazing into the dawning sun as it erased the stars in the brightening sky, the future suddenly seemed so bright.

Authors Note: Goes into advertising mode

Safe escort to Gallia: 20,000 gold.

Top level intelligence on evil artifacts: 50,000 gold

Winning the war: 5,784,333.5 gold

Peace, love, understanding, unity, holy matrimony, parenthood and the image of Ike getting kicked in the groin and lobbed on by his little wife: Priceless.

There are some things money can't buy. For everything else there's EmblemCard, accepted in all kingdoms, cities and territories on Elibe, Magvel and Tellius.

Resumes normal voice, looks at satire in disbelief

Somebody please, and by please I mean pretty please, tell me I didn't just write that. Still, this is, for now, the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed my first, serious attempt at writing fanfiction and that this makes you want to read my original fiction on Well, the situation is very serious: Begnion is crumbling under the weight of Civil War and a radical group of Dark God followers wants Lehran's Medallion. Lehran's Medallion being in Serenes Forest along with, most likely, the Apostle and the citizens of Sienne, will make the Forest a very, very ripe target for the warring factions. I myself found a number of the characters in Fire Emblem Path of Radiance to be underdeveloped and I hope that my, perhaps pardonable, alterations both make them seem more real and illustrate logical changes that might occur four years after the game. And, hopefully, the more likable characters still feel close to the same. This project was a lot of fun but, I can't make any promises about follow-up on this story. I'm already involved in my original fiction projects and the perils and pratfalls of University life. Still, I might give it a try of enough people are interested. Thanks much for reading and please review.

Footnotes:

(1) I was able to gather information about how most of the Greil Mercenaries joined up through Support and Info Conversations and I gathered that Ike was something of a late riser, at least prior to the war, from the reprimand Greil gave him for slowing down the mission to Caldea at the start of the game. I gathered the info about Ilyana's bewildering eating habits using the Support Conversations she has with, well, pretty much everybody.

(2) I've read more than a few fics about Mist and Elincia bonding in a sisterly fashion and decided to build up on it for Elincia's reflection on the war.

(3) Basically my thought is that, when Greil soundly beat Ike at sparring in the opening movie, he was using Ike's over energetic attacks and temper against him. Ike got angry and, thus, he lost. The training session that I wrote between Ike and Elincia is similar except that Ike learned the lesson and Elincia didn't.

(4) After all the angst of the last chapter and the disturbing news from Begnion in this chapter, I thought the reader had had enough angst. The image of Elincia slamming her heel into Ike's groin, Mist and Rolf painting a picture of it for Shinon whom pays well for it, one of Ike's troops commenting on how trees that attack enemy Soldiers are less benign than he'd taught his students and Elincia having a bout of morning sickness a little too close to Ike, hopefully, lightened the mood a little.

(5) Ike implied once or twice that he'd renounce his title as Lord once the war ended, but Sephiran was the only person to whom he declared that intent. And, back in chapter 1, Sephiran convinced him to change his mind.

(6) The phrase 'I Like Ike' was used in Dwight D. Eisenhower's Campaign for the Presidency of the U.S, in deference to his longtime nickname. The 'I Like Ike' slogan proved irresistible, much like it did in this chapter.

(7) I may be misinterpreting, but Ike often struck me as the big hearted sort with some of the things he did during the game. Chasing down Reyson and helping the people of Talrega, after all, presented a lot of hassle and, in the case of Talrega, nothing came out in return. Like I said, I might be wrong but Ike struck me as big hearted.

(8) I found the incident where Elincia seemed to pick up on Ike's habits, when she told him to 'give them a sound thrashing' to be interesting and decided to take it a little further.

(9) The defensive magic for the Serenes Forest is a variation on a similar trick I used during my original works. The difference is that, in my book, the vines grabbed by the arms and used thorns to cut the arteries of the victim so they'd bleed to death. Not suitable for Serenes Forest, but the trick I used strikes a balance between no defense and killing defense. The Forest can fend off intruders without bloodshed. Well, sort of.

(10) I'm fairly certain that the movie showing Greil's death was the only place Ike appeared anything even remotely resembling scared or panicked. I hoped to convey the grim turn of events by making him look even worse of than back then.

(11) Though Ike only stayed a Noble to marry Elincia and continue working toward a better future, he still dislikes certain aspects of the lifestyle. So, hopefully, his less-than-Noble-ish habits will be more consistent with his character.

(12) The Supports between Ike and Soren, Stefan and Soren and Stefan and Mordecai reveal that Soren and Stefan are both Branded, also referred as Parentless, hence the marks on their foreheads. We learn from them that intermarriage between Beorc and Laguz is considered profane and that the children of such unions are shunned by society.

(13) My eye-sight isn't terribly reliable, so I don't know if there are runes on Lehran's Medallion which translate into ominous phrases. Still, it would make sense for Ike to draw a connection between Eclipse and the Medallion.

(14) Ashnard had abducted Lillia and Leanne under the assumption that a Heron could release the Dark God by singing the galdr of release. The problem was that he never learned that it had to be a descendant of Altina.

(15) At the very end of the game, you learn that Sanaki's last name is Altina, hence that one of her ancestors helped to seal away the Dark God. And, also, that she has the power to free him.

(16) Serenes Forest always struck me as a turning point in the game and the Forest's rebirth seemed like the game's miracle. But, why have just one? I also believe that, if the remaining magic of the Forest could protect Leanne it might also protect a nest of eggs or two. Though the Info Conversation with Janaff says that Hawks no longer hatch from eggs, that doesn't mean that Herons aren't hatched.

(17) This raises an important question: does Eclipse know that they need Sanaki to free the Dark God and, if so, how will they force her cooperation? Obviously, our heroes would prefer that it not come to that.

(18) Moonstone Lake, an idea I got while playing Skies of Arcadia, is a location created for this story. As mentioned, its waters are luminous by moonlight and Ike went there often with the Greil Mercenaries on, I guess, annual holidays.

(19) I'm aware that Elincia seems pretty OOC here, but it was deliberate. Hopefully, the various ways that Ike has rubbed off on her make her seem less bland.

(20) I have been partial to the Gatrie/Astrid pairing for a while. I decided for her to join the Greil Mercenaries because, in a class-heavy society like Begnion, it's more than likely that she'd be disowned for breaking off an arranged marriage. But, then again, she DID want to leave anyway and furthermore the Greil Mercenaries have a habit of attracting orphans and outcasts so her joining them seemed logical.

(21) Mia would be a very strange mom. Still, I can picture her hyperactivity being increased by the hormonal changes and her baby playing with a tiny rubber sword just seemed to fit. Some might object to her and Rhys getting married and having a child because most Clergy take vows of chastity and celibacy. But, there is no evidence that the same holds true of the Priests and Bishops of Ashera. So, who knows?

(22) Since Jill and Haar returned to Daein after the war and, so their Supports implied, stayed near the tomb of Jill's father, it IS possible that Talrega was ultimately rebuilt and Jill's New Talrega Legion was named for it.

(23) I saw a video on YouTube about a hack that allows you to play as Greil. In that video, in Greil's inventory, is a close range axe called Urvan. So, it seems possible that Urvan is Greil's axe.

(24) The art of Duke Renning shows him armed with a lance and it seems logical to assume that the Commander of the Crimean Army would carry a unique lance and so I named it Fiat Lux. Translated from Latin, it means 'Let there be Light.'

(25) The Black Knight addressed Greil as 'Gawain, Rider of Daein,' and Volke called him the same. But, neither told us if Gawain was Greil's surname or if he renamed himself Greil. I'm taking a wild guess that it's the former.

(26) Some of the lines in Ike's speech to the amassed Legions were rehashed from his speech before the combined Beorc/Laguz armies before the Liberation of Melior.

(27) I decided that the other Greil Mercenaries needed to be involved a bit more and that Ike and Elincia's son should, indeed, be a part of the family that the late Greil built. And, since they still consider Ike to be a part of their family, it seems to make sense that they'd agree to protect his wife and son. Though, odds are they're split on that whole 'this is on us' statement. I can certainly picture Boyd and Shinon, and possibly Gatrie as well, being ticked off about not going with Ike and the Legions, but who knows? Trouble might crop up on the home front, and it might be interesting to see if the Greil Mercenaries are as formidable without Ike.


End file.
